Reaching Out
by Lady Hino
Summary: Chapter 6! Rei is sent to Earth after a threat on her life. Jadeite is sailing to kill her, but his ship crashes and sinks and he loses his memory. Now he is in her care, but can't remember who he is. What will happen when the truth is revealed?
1. Prologue

OKAY!!!! The long awaited story Reaching Out has finally been revised and is ready for your reviewing pleasure. Please read and review and tell me what you think of this concept. I have another story in the works that centers around an FBI thriller. The more reviews I get on Reaching Out, the faster the chapters will come. I hope all of those who liked Painting Love will enjoy this story just as much. Enjoy!  
  
~Lady Hino  
  
* * *  
  
Prolouge  
  
"Highness, someone requests to speak with the Princess Mars. . ."  
  
The Queen of Mars looked to her husband who in turn looked to the High King who then looked to his lovely wife. "Darling. . ." he asked hesitantly.  
  
Queen Serenity lowered her head and sighed. "Tell whomever it is that the Princess of Mars is not present at the moment," she told the servant.  
  
The man bowed low and exited quickly, fearful of the queen when her mood was not at its best.  
  
"Serenity. . .I would like to know where my daughter is," said a very angered dark-haired woman. "You abduct her in the middle of the night and send her to some foreign place with—I'm assuming—very little...what have you done?"  
  
"I, too, would like to know the whereabouts of my daughter, Serenity," said a lovely blonde-haired woman with blazing blue eyes. "You have taken both our daughters without telling us your reasons. What in the universe is going on?"  
  
Serenity looked at them both; both of who were beautiful beyond words and yet so burning with an angry fire she could not face them. She turned her head away from the lovely women and took a deep breath. If she didn't tell them where their children were now, she would never be able to do it. "They are residing on Earth. . ."  
  
The dark-haired woman raised an equally dark brow and snorted in a very unladylike manner. "Earth. . .come, Serenity, now is not the time for jesting."  
  
The blonde woman nodded in agreement and crossed her arms over her breasts. She absentmindedly swung her heavy braid of hair over her shoulder impatiently.  
  
Serenity couldn't bear to tell her dearest friends where she had hidden their daughters. It was too much for even her to bear, let alone their mothers. "I do not jest. . ." she said simply.  
  
"Do not jest?" the blonde woman echoed.  
  
"No, Aphrodite, I do not. . ."  
  
"What is the meaning of this?" a handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes shouted. "Serenity, you had better come up with a good explanation for all of this for I will not have it!"  
  
Serenity's husband held up a hand and stepped closer to his lovely wife. "Now, Ares. . .I suggest you calm down. What Serenity did was for the girls' own good."  
  
"Please, Selene. . .tell me where my daughter is," the beautiful dark- haired woman pleaded. "She is but eighteen, she cannot survive alone on Earth."  
  
Serenity looked at the lovely woman and frowned. This was not how it was supposed to be. She had planned on visiting each of them personally, not all at once. It was too hard to explain. "Rae. . .I've taken Reina, yes, but it is not as innocent as it seems."  
  
"What are you trying to say, Selene?" Aphrodite asked quietly.  
  
"Reina and Minette are on Earth. . .Reina. . ." and she addressed Rae as kindly as she could when she spoke of her daughter. "Reina is living in a small cottage just on the outside of a forest near the coast of England." She then turned to Aphrodite, whose beauty marveled her still; even at her age, she outweighed many women. With a sigh she began, "Minette is living very near a cliff that overlooks the ocean. It is an hour walk at most from each of their homes."  
  
"But why, Selene. . ." Rae asked quietly. She hadn't realized she was shaking until her husband put a reassuring arm on her shoulder and solaced her with a gentle squeeze.  
  
Serenity looked at the women who she considered her best friends in the universe. There was no other way to put it. It had to be said. "Reina is being hunted down by enemies unknown to me and Minette witnessed one of the assassins trying to enter Reina's bedchamber at night."  
  
Rae would have collapsed if she were standing; so hard were her knees shaking. She looked to her friend and cringed. Aphrodite was as pale as death, her lovely complexion an unappealing gray. She then turned to Serenity and smiled, "Surely no one would be after my daughter. . ." she said.  
  
Serenity shook her head. "I had trouble believing it when Rei and Mina first came to me. Rei said she was afraid of saying anything at first, thinking that it was all in her imagination, but once she realized that Mina had discovered the same thing, they both came to me."  
  
"Who is trying to have my daughter killed?"  
  
"It is hard to discern and I cannot give out the name Mina so cautiously planted in my mind that day. I know that this person resides on the Moon, yet I have no thoughts as to who could be. It is a man, of that I am sure, and he is a noble."  
  
"But why?" Aphrodite asked softly.  
  
"I fear I know naught. . ." Serenity said simply.  
  
* * *  
  
Jadeite sighed heavily and looked at the brown hawk that was perched unmoving at his elbow. "I've made a mess of things, have I not?" he asked the beast. The bird ruffled his feathers and screeched loudly. "You're no help, Eos," he said watching the bird spread his wings.  
  
He shook his head and went back inside with a frown. He went over his plans again, but it was no use. He was surely going to fail. He ground his teeth in frustration and slammed a fist into the wall of the inn. If he failed, it was over. His family would be killed and his life altered forever.  
  
He leaned his head wearily against the wooden boards of the wall and hit it again. Beryl. It was all her doing. Why hadn't he listened to Kunzite? It was simple; do not ever approach the Queen Beryl. She would pull you in, care for you as you were her own, and before you were aware of it, the invisible leash was in its place and she had you ready to do her bidding at the drop of a hat.  
  
Yet how could he explain to Kunzite? The woman had lured him—he was incapable of ignoring her. She was not beautiful, no, far from it. But the haughty resemblance she held to his late wife made his heart pound. She even had the same hair color. And the closer he had gotten to her, the more she began to look like his beautiful wife. And the more he spoke with her, the more she sounded like his wife, until he had gone mad, until he saw and heard his wife in front of him, until he was dreaming of her, clutching her to him because he was so lonely without her.  
  
Now the witch wanted an innocent girl killed all because she did not fancy her. No, that wasn't entirely true. She wanted the Princess Mars killed because she wanted revenge. Beryl's husband had gone crazy with lust over the princess and in the end had killed himself because he could not have her. And so, Beryl blamed the princess for her husband's death. She believed that the princess purposefully lured her husband to her and very roughly put him in his place.  
  
But how could an innocent princess do such a thing to a powerful king? And why did Beryl send him away without any other further explanation? How was he to know the truth behind the matter? Was he to sit back and allow the bitch of a queen to rule him like a mother rules her own offspring? Was there more to this charade than Beryl was letting on?  
  
Jadeite shook his head and leaned against the window. It wasn't right. Did he blame his wife's death on Viola?  
  
Jadeite closed his eyes. No, he did not blame his daughter...he blamed himself. How could he blame his daughter? His daughter, who was dead even as she slipped free of her mother's womb? He didn't even have the heart to—no; he would not dwell on the past when the future lay ahead.  
  
Kill the Princess Mars. That was his mission, yet he had no idea of how to go about doing it. He had already paid a man to do the deed, but another girl discovered him. Now it was his responsibility to do so. But how? He didn't know what she looked like, didn't know where she was. If Beryl had not had his family locked up, he would not do this. It was all Beryl's fault.  
  
"Beryl. . ." he hissed to the darkening sky. 


	2. Chapter 1

REMEMBER TO READ AND REVIEW IF YOU WANT MORE!  
  
* * *  
  
Rei calmly slipped out of her favored place to hurry back to her small cottage. She had almost forgotten about the tide, so concentrated was she on a strange tickling at the back of her mind. Smiling faintly, she looked over her shoulder at the cave carved into the stony cliff. It reminded her of her home.  
  
Mars. . .  
  
Thinking of her home sent a pang of longing through her heart. She missed her parents despite the fact that she had been with them a month before she was taken away again. She had only been gone from civilization for fortnight at best. Still, not being able to see her mother or father, or even Ami and Makoto had her sniffing back tears.  
  
She shook her head to rid herself of the unwanted thoughts and dashed up the shore to the edge of the forest where her home sat ensconced in the dense brush. She pushed open the door quickly to discover her friend perched gracefully in one of the simple wooden chairs by the fireplace. There was a fire blazing in the hearth, as there always was, and Rei was thankful that it hadn't died out before she got there. "Mina. . .what are you doing here?" she asked her friend as she made her way to the beating flames. She stuck out her hands to warm them as she regarded the lovely blonde. "Isn't it late?"  
  
Minette smiled and brushed her hands of their dust on her plain wool gown. "It's not so late, Reina. Besides. . .I brought food with me!" she said happily, "and linens and another dress for you. Now you have a total of four. . .splendid, ne?"  
  
Reina smiled faintly at her friend and folded her hands before her. "Where is Rohan then?" she asked brightly.  
  
Minette shrugged and pointed toward the door. "He said that you were in need of water, so he went to the stream to fetch you some. He cannot spend the night, however, his wife is with child and he is anxious to be with her. . ." she said as she rose.  
  
Reina raised an elegant eyebrow and brushed back the loose strand of blonde hair that had fallen from Mina's simple bun. "Are you lonely up there?" she asked her friend.  
  
Mina frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "I am not lonely. . .only bored. . ." she said. "At least you have the ocean to keep you company. All I have is the birds and trees."  
  
"It cannot be so bad on that cliff, Mina. . ." she said to her friend.  
  
"It is, Rei. . .it is terribly boring up there. I can watch the ocean, certainly. I can watch the water as it strikes the rocks below, but I cannot walk along its shore and sink my feet into the sand. Oh, Rei. . .I really do wish I were back at home. Venus is so—"  
  
"Hush, no more from you. . ." Rei said, clamping a hand over her mouth. "I'll visit you on the morrow, but I am overly tired now, Minette. . .and you must be careful how you use our past information. We have been lax in calling ourselves by our names. . .I am Jillian now, love. . .and you are-- "  
  
Minette tore her mouth away and frowned. "I know who I am, Jillian. I am Kathryn. . ."  
  
Rei smiled sadly at her friend and pat her on the shoulder. "Wait until Rohan comes back with the water, then you may leave."  
  
It was then Minette looked at her friend. Her face was a tad paler than normal and her eyes wide. "What is it, Rei—Jillian? Are you feeling ill?" she asked her friend.  
  
Reina shook her head and forced another smile, "I am well. . .just tired is all. . ."  
  
She sat herself in one of the hard chairs and stared into the fire. She couldn't tell Minette about the strange niggling feeling she had. Something was going to happen tonight, but what, she did not know.  
  
Rohan came through the door as her mind wandered. "Fresh water for ya, Miss Jillian. You didn't have any at first, and I gots a tad worried. You been spendin' too much time at that beach o' yours," he said with a smile. He tossed his wind-blown hair from his eyes and looked at her. She was a vision; he thought as he eyed her, so was the blonde. "I brought ya some wheat, dried meat, a few herbs from my wife's garden, a couple o' potatoes, some onions, carrots, a block o' cheese an' a bit o' yeast from our own stash. It isn't much, but it will last ya a few days. I also brought another gown that Martha sewed for ya, not tamention a few more linens an' a fresh bar o' soap. I'll come back wit more in a few days. . ." he said as he set his burden down near the hearth.  
  
"Thank you, Rohan," she said pleasantly. "Would you mind walking Kathryn back up since it is on your way?"  
  
"I can make it on my own," Minette said crossing her arms over her chest. Honestly, Reina was treating her as if she were younger than she was!  
  
Reina chanced a glance out of the window of her small cottage and closed her eyes briefly. It was as she suspected; the clouds were overhead. "Kat. . .there will be rain. . ." she said softly.  
  
Minette smiled softly at her friend and put a hand to her shoulder. "I shall be fine, Jillian. . .believe you me. . ."  
  
Reina nodded slowly and turned to watch both Minette and Rohan depart. That faint niggling at the back of her mind would not quite. What was wrong with her? Would a storm make her this nervous? She shook her head quickly and rose.  
  
She looked longingly out the window and mentally picked out the star in the darkening sky. "Home. . ." she whispered to herself. She wondered briefly what her mother and father were thinking at that very moment. Were they worried about her? Queen Serenity had promised her that she would tell her parents everything once she was securely settled. How had they taken the news about her assassin?"  
  
Rei cringed slightly at the thought. I have an assassin, she thought. How could she have an assassin? It was all too confusing. Was she that loathed by people? She knew her grandfather had been notorious for his temper, a temper that her father was fast closing in on, but did she harbor the same? She did not bellow like her father, in fact, she considered herself very well mannered. Was it possible that that was the reason for the attempts on her life?  
  
She closed her eyes to block out the unwanted thoughts and pulled on the rope above her head to lower the ladder to the attic. She and Rohan had transformed it into a bedchamber complete with a warming stone near the chimney so that the room would stay warm.  
  
She made her way to the corner nearest the makeshift hearth and sat on the cot. She missed the luxurious bed she had on Mars and the Moon. She missed the hot baths of scented water that she could sit in and enjoy until she wished to get up. But to keep her safe, the Queen had set her here with strict instructions. "Do not use your powers for any reason. . ." she had told her. She and Mina had nodded vigorously and parted.  
  
Rei looked out the window again. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up. Something was amiss, but it couldn't be anything but the storm. She nodded to herself and stripped out of her heavy wool gown and slid into the bed. She would sleep away the troubled tick and wake up refreshed.  
  
* * *  
  
When she woke in the morning, the sun was out. "The storm is over..." she told herself stretching. "Two days of intense rain and wind and the storm is finally over. . ."  
  
She smiled softly before getting out of her warm bed and dressing in the gray wool gown—the first she had received on in her stay. It was sturdy, made for working around outdoors and in. She smoothed the folds gently then washed her face in the basin of water she had left on one of the rickety wash stands.  
  
She grabbed a thin swathe of damask and tied her hair at the base of her neck then went quickly down the ladder and into the main room of the cottage. She was excited that the sun had finally decided to show. It had been two long days indoors, sewing useless items or staring out at the rain, praying that Minette had summoned enough courage to brave the rain and come visit her. She was not so brave, the wind was icy, the rain worse.  
  
Smiling at her thoughts, Reina grabbed a piece of the bread she had made the day before and sliced a piece of cheese. She ate the treat as she walked outside.  
  
It was still chill; the winds still cold. She looked around her as she ate the bread and cheese. The birds were out and there were still droplets of rain falling from the trees. 'It is like a painting,' she thought to herself as she made her way to the beach.  
  
The sand was wet and her feet sunk in as she made her way down the way to her special little cove. She ignored the moisture seeping into her shoes as she walked around several boulders, but cursed quite vividly when she tripped and fell on her knees.  
  
"Damn!" she said lifting herself up and looking behind her. She stared at the offending piece of wood and frowned. Why were there strips of wood littering the beach? She looked around her and gasped. There was wood every where! Several pieces were very large; some were drifting in and out with the waves. There were fragments of sail draped over rocks and boulders. A trunk wedged between two boulders, dripping water.  
  
"What happened?" Reina asked herself as she rounded a cluster of rocks. She covered her mouth when she lifted her gaze down the beach.  
  
Bodies littered the sand. There were three near her and two further down. Were they all dead? She felt a pang of regret that all these men perished as they tried to make their way to safety. She wondered how many were still floating in the sea.  
  
Carefully she knelt beside the man nearest her and put a shaking hand on his chest. There was no movement. She looked to his face and noted the gray pallor, then turned to the next. He was dead as well. She gave up hope. All these men were dead because of the storm. Was the wind so strong that it led the sailors into the jagged rocks below the cliff? She would have to drag the men into the frigid waters and give them the best burial she could manage.  
  
Even as she thought of the cold water, she felt a shiver run down her spine. Was she that cold? She shrugged and gingerly made her way to the small cove hidden in the boulders. There she pulled out a blanket, that she normally kept tucked away on the highest point of the cave, and wrapped it around her shoulders.  
  
It was then she heard the soft gasp.  
  
She turned with a gasp on her own tongue, then realized that there was no one behind her. She backed cautiously into her cave and waited a moment for her senses to clear.  
  
And she heard it again. Only this one was full of pain and frustration.  
  
She came out of her hiding place slowly and looked to her left. She felt the alarm build anew when she saw that a man was lying at the base of a rock. Her heart went out to him immediately and she rushed to him before she could even think about her rash decision.  
  
His eyes were closed and his body motionless. When she knelt beside him she was almost sure that he had died in the amount of time it had taken her to reach him. She put a hand to his brow and then his cheek. He was slightly warmer than the wind that whipped against her. She unwrapped the blanket from her shoulder and laid it over his chest.  
  
"Sir?" she called softly.  
  
He stirred slightly at her voice, his head falling to one side and his fingers twitching. "Sir?" she called more urgently. She saw that his eyes moved under his lids and she smiled briefly in relief. He was most definitely alive, but she wasn't sure how long he would live if she kept him in the cold, wet sand.  
  
'Do not use your powers for any reason. . .' she heard the queen say. But this was an emergency. How could she let this man—who was obviously in much pain—die because she could not lift him to her cabin? It was ridiculous. She shook her head and looked at him again. He was sleeping peacefully, though Rei noticed that his brow was furrowed slightly. Was it from pain?  
  
Rei closed her eyes for a moment in thought. "A small spell; so small that Mina won't be able to detect it. If I can get him warm, he will be well. . ." she told herself thoughtfully.  
  
With the thought in mind she pushed back the quilt and waved a hand over his still body. He rose off the ground a mere six inches, but did not move. "Good enough. . ." she whispered to herself as she gripped his tunic and began to drag him effortlessly back up the beach and down the small trail that led to her cottage.  
  
"I will make sure your friends are cared for, sir. . .I promise you," she said as she pushed open the door to her home. She pulled him in quickly and shut the door. "Up the ladder you go," she said quietly as she waved a hand over his chest again. He disappeared for an instant and Rei prayed to the Gods that that little bit of magic had gone undetected.  
  
She climbed the ladder quickly and paused when she saw him lying on her bed. "This will not do. . ." she said as she walked closer. "You are soaked through, sir. . ."  
  
Without a care, she unlaced his plain wool tunic and pushed it off his shoulders. She proceeded to do the same to his thin gossamer shirt underneath then wriggled and pulled until the wet clothing had come out from under his broad shoulders. She then went to his boots and quickly pulled them off his feet. She unlaced his breeches with swift movements then pulled them down his legs and off his body. His thick hose came off with a splash of water and his drawers as well.  
  
When he was finally naked, she dared a glance. He was a finely built man; not that she had any experience in that area. But she had seen the statues on the Moon and he looked like any one of them. She noted that his chest was hairless and that his skin a golden hue. She looked away when her eyes made contact with the very male part of him and she had to shake herself to go to the other side of the room and retrieve a towel.  
  
She proceeded to briskly dry him off, steering clear of his nether regions, and then ran her fingers through his damp hair. "I wonder where you are from, sir. . ." she whispered gently. She smoothed a loose curl from his brow and smiled down at him. "Shall we see what kind of injuries you've suffered?" she asked softly.  
  
She took his silence as an answer and quickly folded a towel over his manly parts. Then she stretched a hand down his arm. There were bruises and scratches down both and following the lines of his shoulder. She noted the blood on the side of his head and gently touched a finger there to find a large lump. "You are lucky to be alive. . ." she said softly when she discovered the bloody gash on his thigh. There was a smaller laceration on his chest; the bleeding had stopped yet the cut was still open. "I don't know how much I can do for you, sir. . .I only have a little of my healing balm left. . ."  
  
She shook her head slightly then climbed down the ladder and out the front door. She rounded the small cabin and filled a bucket full of the fresh rain water from the barrels lined against the back of the cabin. If she saved this man's life, what would he do? Who was he? Was he some sort of crazed sailor who would force her to bed with him then rob her blind? Rei shivered then shook her head. Her senses were telling her that this man needed help and that he would not harm her, not now nor when he healed. Her senses were never wrong.  
  
With that thought in mind, she walked back into the little wooden cabin and back up the ladder, the bucket of water balanced precariously in her arms. When she saw him lying helplessly on her bed she knew that she had been destined to take him in her care.  
  
She bathed his wounds the best she could, yet was unnerved by the fact that not one sound came from him save the whisper of something she was not certain she had heard correctly. She carefully stitched up the wound on his thigh, wincing herself every time she poked the needle into his flesh. She smoothed the healing balm over the worst of his wounds then stared down at him, flinching when she finally allowed herself to understand how painful it must have been to be sitting in the ocean water with open gashes. He had suffered too much. "I fear that this is all I can do for you. . ." she said softly.  
  
She gazed at his golden locks, surprised how light they had become when he was finally dry. "You are handsome of face, I suppose," she said gently. "I do not yet know what you look like, what with the bruise on your cheek and your parched lips." She smiled pleasantly and pulled the sheet over his body then dragged a chair beside the bed. "I wonder where you are from, sir. You most certainly are young, of that I am certain and you do not have the look of Mars, not Jupiter or Mercury. More like the Moon or Venus. Many from Venus have blonde hair and blue eyes; perhaps you have blue eyes as well, sir?"  
  
She shook her head at herself after a while. This man could not hear a word she said. "For now I will just have to accustom myself to sharing this small home with you. I'm not certain I know what to call you. I'm afraid that if I do name you, it will be terribly wrong and awkward. Still, I cannot continue to call you 'sir'."  
  
She again shook her head and stood. "You are most likely thirsty," she said with a smile. She paused before she went down the ladder. He could not speak, could not move, nor wake. What made her think he could drink? She sighed harshly then sat herself back in the chair.  
  
She looked at his restful face and frowned. Would he die, she wondered silently. He looked pale, almost gray, and he was cold to the touch. Yet when she placed her ear to his chest, she heard the distinct beating of his heart and her hopes rose. He would live, she told herself. He would not die on her for now that she had this man with her, she wished to know a little about him. "I shall pretend that you come from Venus and that you are the god of love. Perhaps your name is Lucien. . .no. . .I imagine it would be. . ." she trailed off when she heard a flutter of wings at the window.  
  
A large hawk perched itself on the window ledge and stared at her with bright eyes. "Hello. . ." she said softly.  
  
The hawk screeched softly then glided into the room. He landed gracefully on the bed and cocked his head at the injured man. He flapped his wings twice, as if to wake him, then turned to face Rei. She shrugged and looked at the man herself. "He will not wake. He has been in a terrible accident, I'm afraid."  
  
The hawk stared up at her as if she were crazy and then perched itself on the man's bound wrist. It screeched loudly several times before Rei had the courage to swat at it. "Quiet, you'll attract an entire regiment of soldiers with that screech!" she softly scolded.  
  
It was then that the man beneath the bird began to stir. "Eos. . ." he moaned, "Stop. . .screeching. . ."  
  
Rei was shocked into silence. Not two hours abed and the man was waking! "Sir!" she called frantically.  
  
The blonde man turned his head on the pillow with a wince and opened his eyes—brilliant blue—to stare at her. "Who. . .who?" he asked softly.  
  
Rei heard the dryness of his throat in his words and dipped a cup into the bucket of clear rainwater that she had gathered from outside. "I'm R—Jillian. . ." she managed with a smile.  
  
He closed his eyes and sighed. "No. . ." he replied softly.  
  
She gasped in shock. How did he know? "Who are you?" she asked in return.  
  
The blue eyes opened again, this time glazed with pain. ". . .Jed. . ." he whispered and then was asleep.  
  
It took her a moment for it to register that he was no longer awake and speaking. When it did finally reach her mind, she jumped up anxiously and let the cup of water in her hand topple to the floor. "Jed! Jed!" she cried frantically. She put shaking hands on his bare shoulders and shook him gently.  
  
He opened his eyes again and stared at her as if she had no head on her shoulders. "What is wrong with you, woman?" he said harshly.  
  
Rei smiled thankfully. He was alive and he would live! "Thank gods. . ." she sighed.  
  
Jed turned his head to her and winced. ". . .something must have. . .fallen on my head. . ." he hissed.  
  
Rei turned to look at him then and remembered that he was her patient and she was his doctor for the moment. "I am sorry, sir. . ." she said softly. "You were in a terrible accident."  
  
Jed screwed up his features and raised the hand at his side, only to discover that it was the most difficult thing he had ever done. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked.  
  
Rei looked toward him and noticed that he spoke in anger, yet there was fear in his eyes. "You were in a boating accident. Do you not remember?"  
  
He turned his head on the pillow and stared up at her. "No. . .I. . .I don't. . ." he whispered. The scowl had disappeared from his brow to be replaced with genuine worry, fear, confusion, and frustration. "Boating incident you say?" he asked slowly as if he were just realizing his lips were parched and his throat dry.  
  
Rei nodded and quickly made her way to the barrel of water before speaking again. She sat beside him slowly and sighed. "Do you not remember anything, sir?" she asked softly.  
  
He closed his eyes and licked his dry lips. "No. . .only blackness. . ." he whispered.  
  
Tilting her head to the side, Rei regarded him with sympathy. "There was a storm that started two nights ago and did not end until just today. I went out for a walk this morning and found splintered wood littering the beach. Then I found you."  
  
"The ship was ruined?" he asked carefully.  
  
Rei offered him the cup of water, but when he jerked his head away and stared at her intently, she pulled it back. "I'm assuming that the ship hit the jagged rocks at the base of the cliff then sank. What was left of it floated to shore; man and wood alike."  
  
Jed closed his eyes briefly, trying to recall what the feelings would have been like, but nothing came to him. "How many bodies?" he asked.  
  
Rei looked down into the water she held and nodded. "There were five. . .six at the most."  
  
"The others must have drowned. . ." he said softly. He turned to look at her again and offered her the ghost of a smile. "I'll take that water now, if you don't mind, my lady."  
  
Rei smiled sadly and helped him to drink the water. Did the crash cause him to loose his memory? It was entirely possible. She remembered hearing such tales on the moon. Their teachers had taught them all about the different accidents that could occur near the beach so that they would have no desire to go there, but they went as often as they could.  
  
"You're name, lady. . ." he whispered into the cup.  
  
She couldn't lie to him. . .for he knew too well she lied. "Rei. . ." she said softly staring at him.  
  
When he had finished the cup of water, he lay back on the pillow and sighed. "I thank you, Lady Rei, for helping me."  
  
"Oh. . .I'm glad you're alive," she said gently. But he didn't hear her; he was asleep again.  
  
* * *  
  
"What? Rei-chan, what is a man doing in your room?" Mina asked her friend the next day.  
  
"Shh. . .Mina. . .he was injured. You saw the shipwreck from the cliff. When I went out in the morning, I found the beach littered with death and he was the only sign of life. But you must listen to me. . .there was a chest stuck between two rocks. I tried to pry it out this morning, but I couldn't. I think it may have something to do with Jed. If we could get it out and open it, we may learn something about him."  
  
Mina stared at her friend with what could only be disbelief. "You're crazy! We can't do that Rei. . .you know that! We can't even host a man. . .let alone share our bed with one!"  
  
"I'm letting him have the bed, Mina. I'm sleeping down here."  
  
The blonde beauty looked at her friend hopelessly. "If the Queen finds out about this, we will surely never be able to go back home. She will have us banished here for good."  
  
"Mina, you worry so! There is no need. The man is never awake. He is like a dead snake lying in that bed. His eyes are swollen; his arms in bandages. . .he can barely move, let alone stay awake long enough to have any concern about anything. Come, let us get the trunk and be done. It gets colder by the minute."  
  
Mina shook her head and followed the raven-haired princess out the door. "If I get into any trouble, your neck is mine."  
  
Rei laughed lightly and led the angered beauty down to the beach. "There," she said as she pointed to a large wooden chest wedged between two large boulders. The ocean waves lapped at its edge gently, as if trying to pull it out for them.  
  
"If only Ami were here," Mina whispered, "She would be able to convince that water to lift the trunk from between the rocks and all we would need to do is push it to the cabin."  
  
Rei raised a winged eyebrow and smiled. "I'm afraid it is just the two of us, my sweet," she said grabbing her friend's arm and pulling her toward the trunk.  
  
Rei moved to one side and Mina to the other. "When I count to three, you pull and I'll push, is that clear?" Rei shouted over the roaring waves.  
  
Mina nodded firmly and grabbed the handle of the trunk in anticipation. When Rei counted to three, she pulled with all her might, her arms straining with the pressure. Rei pushed against the large chest with her shoulder, her feet walking uselessly as she tried to gain leverage.  
  
"This is no use!" Mina said as she fell onto her backside. "This trunk does not want to budge one inch. I believe that it was built into the rock, or these stupid rocks grew over the top of this thing."  
  
Rei looked down at her friend and sighed. It was getting darker by the minute and still the trunk had not decided to move. "Perhaps you are right," Rei said with a frown. She so hated having to give up on anything.  
  
Mina looked up at Rei and gave her a smile. "Don't look too depressed, Rei- chan. I'm sure that if we had more time, we would be able to move this thing without problems. As it is, we can hardly do much without. . .our. . .powers. . ." she whispered.  
  
The two girls looked at one another for a long moment before shrugging their dainty shoulders and moving toward the forest. The chest was not so important that they needed to spend hours trying to loosen it.  
  
"I must leave you here, Rei. . .Rohan said he would come and patch up my roof, so I must return before nightfall."  
  
Rei nodded to her friend and made her way up to her cottage. She was anxious to see how the young man faired. She felt extremely sorry for him because his body and face was so badly bruised that it was hard to understand what he looked like. She smiled slightly. The poor man must be suffering so.  
  
The smile disappeared on her face when she entered the small cottage. A loud crash echoed down the ladder. Rei didn't' think, only ran as fast as she could until she reached the upper room. She saw her patient flailing on the bed. The sheet had fallen to the floor as well as the pitcher she had placed on the bedside table that morning.  
  
"Jed!" she yelled as she raced to him. "Jed! Please wake up!" she cried.  
  
He opened his eyes quickly and scowled at her without really seeing her. "Bastard!" he yelled before his arm came crashing through the air. His fist hit the side of her face and she went stumbling backwards.  
  
"Jed. . ." she whispered running back to his side. The pain in her cheek was unbearable. She wanted to lie down with a cool damp cloth and sleep, but she knew he needed her. "Jed, please wake!" she cried to the flailing man. She managed to make it to his side without getting hit again and gently placed her hand on his forehead.  
  
He immediately stilled.  
  
"Jed. . ." she cooed to him as she ran her hand down his cheek. It was what she had feared. He was burning up with a fever. "What am I going to do?" she whispered to herself. She had never felt this helpless before. "If only Ami were here. . ." she said softly.  
  
Rei put her hand on Jed's shoulder in an attempt to keep him calm and slowly reached for the blanket that had fallen to the floor. She covered him with it as gently as she could and made sure that her hand never left his shoulder. She feared that he might begin flailing about again if she did.  
  
Instead of flailing about in a crazed, fevered state again, he began to shiver uncontrollably. "No, not this. . ." Rei whispered as she watched him try to turn onto his side.  
  
"Cold. . .so cold. . ." he moaned softly.  
  
She ran to the bottom of the ladder where she knew a pile of blankets sat under the small bench against a wall. She grabbed all of them and ran back up the ladder. Jed was lying on his side, shivering uncontrollably underneath the thin blanket. Rei bit her lip in fear that he would pull his cuts open again if he continued to lie on his side, so she rushed forward and pulled him gently onto his back. He protested the whole way and moaned his disagreement, but she won in the end.  
  
"You cannot lie on your side, Jed," she whispered as she draped blankets over him.  
  
After she had gotten the blankets tucked securely around him, she chanced a look at his battered face and as she started at him, his eyes opened. She hadn't paid much attention to those eyes the day before as she was bathing him and trying to speak with him. She had noticed that they were a very nice blue, but this? At the moment they were burning with fever, but the blue was so intense she could feel the fire in her own body freeze. His eyes were possibly bluer than the ocean that she spent so much time watching.  
  
"Leave me. . ." he croaked out. His intense stare never left her as he made his comment.  
  
"No," Rei replied after a short pause. Had the gods really made eyes that shade of blue? It was impossible to make that color, even if one blended all the colors in the universe. "I will not leave you alone. You are burning with fever, sir, and you are a danger to yourself at this moment." She wasn't exactly sure where this bout of anger came from, but all of a sudden she was shaking with it.  
  
Jed frowned at her and then grimaced at the pain it caused in his face. What the hell was wrong with him? "I said leave me alone, wench!" he said as he tried to raise a hand and push her away.  
  
Rei took a breath and then rose up over him. "If you want to die alone, then I shall let you, but as of this moment you can barely lift your finger."  
  
"I would like to die in peace," he said softly.  
  
Rei let out a frustrated sigh and moved to the corner of the room where a chair sat against the wall. She dragged it to the side of the bed and plopped herself down into it and stared out the window.  
  
Jed smiled inwardly and finally closed his eyes. This woman was going to be the end of him.  
  
"You are stubborn," he said and even those words hurt to speak. His throat was dry and his chapped lips made the words that much harder to get out.  
  
Rei just sat still, her mouth set in a grim line, and stared out the window.  
  
Jed turned his head toward her and cracked open a swollen eyelid. She was a sight to behold, he'd give her that. She had the most beautiful raven colored hair he had ever seen. It glimmered and shined and moved around her head so gracefully that he was reminded of silky wisps of smoke as they rose from the head of an incense stick. Her eyes were an appealing shade of violet with the loveliest twinkling of black and above those dark orbs, her eyebrows made very attractive arches. She had a very adorable nose, straight and small and so perfect it made him wonder at how that could be a possibility. Her neck was long, her arms slender, her hands graceful even as they clenched across her breasts. Her breasts were full and round and lovely from what he could see with the gray gown covering them and the sight of long legs being sculpted by the wool was something to make him stir beneath the covers. But alas, nothing moved nor did anything beat with lust. He was too cold, too tired and in too much pain to appreciate her beauty.  
  
Instead of pursuing the thought of pulling her against him and parting her legs with his knees, he turned his head on the pillow and closed his eyes. Perhaps if he just thought of the blankets warming him, then he would be consumed by heat.  
  
Rei looked at the stubborn man with a heavy heart. He was suffering and she did nothing but give him grief. "Are you well, Jed?" she questioned softly.  
  
The angel was speaking to him, he knew that for a fact, but he couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. His throat was coated with sand and his tongue felt heavy and swollen. "Cold. . ." was the only word he could manage and even that sounded like a muffled groan.  
  
Rei rose from her chair slowly and moved to the side of the bed. She rested her palm against his cheek then his brow and cringed. He was as hot as fire and she knew too well what that heat meant. She watched helplessly as he shivered uncontrollably beneath the sheets, his body convulsing and wracking with cold. "The blankets are not enough. . ." she whispered to herself.  
  
Suddenly an idea weaved itself into her head and she ran down the ladder to find the stack of bricks that still stood against the wall beside the small hearth. Her maid had always warmed smooth river rocks and wrapped them in blankets to place under her coverlet when she was younger. "The sheets are hard to warm this time of year, miss," she would say when the snow began to fall on the moon. "The only way to warm a bed decently is to put river rocks into the fire and place them at the food of the mattress."  
  
Rei remembered the small lesson as clearly as she knew her name and shoved a brick into the fire. "It's no river rock, but at least it's hearty and will retain heat. . ." she said as she watched the flames lick at the gray stone. She waited until she knew it would scorch any man's hand with its heat then reached a hand into the fire. The flames caressed and smoothed about her skin as though greeting a long lost friend. Her skin warmed and heated, but burn it did not for her power with the fire was great.  
  
She smiled softly and carried the hot stone up the ladder and into the small bed chamber. She wrapped it tightly in a small cloth and tucked it securely at the bottom of the bed. "Jed. . .you'll be warm. . ." she said gently, stroking the blonde hair from his brow.  
  
But still he shivered, even when she pulled back the covers and placed her hands on the heated mattress he shivered; hard wracking shivers that made his teeth chatter and his skin blue. What else was she to do?  
  
Biting her lip and looking down at the bruised and broken man in her bed, she suddenly knew. Without a second thought, she stripped her gown from her body and tossed it onto the chair. Her shift came off next and her boots and under garments. When she was finally naked she turned to look out the window and up at the cliff where she knew Mina worked and worried over her desire to go home. She would not rethink her plan for she did not want this man to die. Not before she found out who he was.  
  
With sure movements she pulled back the covers and slipped into bed beside the cold body. The bed was warm, the hot brick heating the mattress through and through. She didn't think twice about her actions, simply wanted to heal the sick fevered soul and wrapped her arms around his back. "Please. . ." she whispered over and over, "take my warmth. . .be well. . ."  
  
Jed merely felt smooth hot skin against his and tried frantically to get closer to it. He wanted to burrow into her heat, wrap himself in her silken hair and die a peaceful death. With all the pain and the shivers, he didn't want to live. There was no need to continue if he was going to die from this wretched fever as it was.  
  
Slowly he began to ease and Rei sighed with relief against his chest. Her patient would be well. She slowly moved a leg between his thighs and blinked in surprise when she felt that very male part of him press limply against her thigh. His body was so much different than hers. She finally took time to notice that his chest was broad and hard and smooth. He was golden, his skin taut over strong muscles and his legs were liberally covered with hairs that tickled her own. She breathed deeply of him and was delighted by the earthy and spicy masculine scent he had. She pressed her cheek against his chest and again sighed deeply when she felt him move closer to her.  
  
His thigh pressed hard against her and she felt a strange warmth trickle down her limbs, but ignored it as the heat from the brick began to lull her to sleep. She had never been this close to a man before, never touched one as intimately as she did this one. It was a strange and new experience for her, like a forbidden fruit one could not get enough of. She closed her eyes as sleep claimed her, thinking to herself, "He's reached out to me. . .and this is only the beginning. . ." 


	3. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! Sorry it took me soo long to get this chapter out. I had a major case of writer's block! But now I should be back in business. I'm glad all of you are enjoying the story, I'm trying to add some new and interesting ideas into this one that I hope all of you will like. Please feel free to read it as many times as you like and review as many times as you like. Honestly, every review I get makes me want to write more and more. So keep it coming! Hope all of you have fun reading this chapter! Lady Hino  
  
When she woke in the morning, her jaw felt stiff and her head pounded. She sat up slowly, her whole face feeling as though it had swollen to ten times its normal size. She tentatively raised a hand to her jaw and winced at the sharp pain that shot through her. In that instant, the entire night came flooding back; her fight to get Jed to lie still, the hit he delivered, and her fall against the wall. Then she remembered warming a brick and finally climbing naked into bed with him.  
  
Oh!  
  
She scrambled from the bed as quickly as she could, her feet tangling in the sheets and causing her to fall on her backside. She clumsily untwisted and unwound the sheets from her legs, stood and grabbed up the gray wool dress that hung on the back of the chair and clutched it to her breasts. "If Mina were to ever find out about this. . ." she whispered as she turned to look at her patient.  
  
He reached out a hand as if to grab her, his fingers clutching at the empty bed beside him. His chest was exposed and shining beautifully with the morning sun. He was dreaming, Rei could see that from the way his smooth brow furrowed gently. In that instant, she wanted to reach out and smooth his golden hair away from his face and take all those fears he possessed away from him. Instead, she skillfully slipped back into the gray gown and buttoned the front as quickly as she could.  
  
When she had finished, she sidled over to the bedside and laid gentle fingers on his brow. It was with a sigh of relief that she fully placed her palm on his cool brow. "Thank the Gods. . ." she whispered.  
  
Suddenly, before she could pull away, she felt a harsh tug on her wrist and looked down in disbelief at the tanned hand gripping her. She let out a small gasp for so shocked was she at the speed this man possessed. She rose surprised eyes to meet those of icy blue then frowned.  
  
"A lovely woman," he said with a rakish grin, "A lovely woman standing beside my bed, her gown hastily thrown on, the buttons askew. . .I wonder what she is doing here."  
  
Rei felt heat flood her face and she tried desperately to tug away from his strong grasp. "If you will. . ." she said haughtily.  
  
"Ah. . .a proud ruffled raven. Tell me, my dear, did you enjoy your night?" he asked. Rei noticed the dark light in his eyes and the grin that laughed at her. "Was my imagination deceiving me or do I not remember a night with such a beauty as you?"  
  
Rei's eyes flared. How dare he? "I'm afraid, sir, that you must have gotten hit over the head harder than I originally thought," she said through clenched teeth. "No one would mistake a night of sickness for one of lust unless he was daft."  
  
Jed raised a blonde brow at her and grinned with such charm, any normal young lady would swoon at his feet. Much to his disgust, the dark-haired girl in front of him merely raised her own brow in return. He snarled slightly and then recovered. He must not be thinking straight. Did he not please her the night before? "Forgive me, my lady," he said with a laugh, "I fear I did not do my duty by you last night. Were you perhaps not satisfied and this is why you look at me with such scorn? I am dreadfully repentant and shamed to the core for not caring tenderly for one as deliciously lovely as yourself."  
  
Rei stifled a laugh and turned her back on the man to get some water from the side table. "You are most definitely daft and I should have left you to die on that beach."  
  
Confusion crossed his features. Beach? "I apologize, but I do not comprehend. . ." he said softly.  
  
She rolled her eyes and turned around to push a glass of water into his palm. "You do not remember even that? You remember how to use that wicked mouth of yours to pour ugly words from it, but you do not remember what passed only a few nights ago?"  
  
Jed furrowed his brow and shifted through his memories. Unfortunately there was nothing there for him to sort through. He closed his eyes briefly and Rei noticed that he was clutching at the sheets he lay in. She saw his eyes fluttering beneath his lids, the rapid movement causing her to believe that he was reliving past moments but not remembering them. Her anger and annoyance began to drift away when she saw that smooth brow furrow again as he tried desperately to cling to one of the racing images in his mind. Though she knew she shouldn't have been using her powers, she wanted desperately to slip into his thoughts and see what he was seeing, she wanted to help him grasp onto a memory and store it into his injured brain.  
  
Jed was swimming in a black pool of images. He could see them; he could almost reach out and touch them, yet he could not hold on to them. Even if he managed to graze the tips of the images, there was no way for him to cling to it long enough to remember it. He didn't know how he managed to be in this black pool. The last thing he could recall was staring at a lovely raven-haired goddess, teasing her about the bed he was currently lying in. But she had said something about a beach and an accident that stirred his thoughts.  
  
Amidst the churning images that he could not see, he finally stumbled upon another smaller pool in which he could finally gaze into. He could see nothing but an expanse of water. He could smell the salty sea air in his nostrils and he breathed in heavily. As he stared at the glistening pool, stared at the smooth waters and smooth clouds, he could feel something niggling in the back of his mind. This was a memory. . .a fresh one that he was given permission to view unhindered.  
  
There was a small wooden object floating in the waters below and he leaned closer to the black pool in order to better his vantage point. But as he leaned further toward the image, he felt himself falling and desperately he struck out a hand to grasp for any support that he could find. The falling stopped. When he opened his eyes he was clutching at a tall mast, the wood smooth beneath his fingers.  
  
"Cap?" someone called out to him. "Are ye well, Cap'in?"  
  
Jed turned in the direction of that voice and espied a shabby looking old man with a missing tooth. He was twining rope around his arms and wearing the brim of his hat up, it flapped in the wind. Jed didn't know who he was looking at, but the skinny old sailor seemed vaguely familiar to him, sadly he could not recall a name. "I'm sorry?" he asked.  
  
"I asked if ye was feelin' a'right," the man said with a smile. "Ye ain't feelin' like ye's gonna lose yer meal, are ye?"  
  
Of a sudden a memory came flooding back to him with so much force he was compelled to fall backward. He was captain of this ship. He looked about him and frowned. He was captain of this dilapidated ship? For some reason he felt as though he should have been captaining a large sleek vessel named The Raven, but that wasn't to be. He shook his head and tried to recall more beside the fact that he had been captaining this ship. . .somewhere. He didn't know where he was going. He wasn't sure if he were sailing to Spain or France, Britain or China. He only knew that he was captain and that was enough to give him hope. "Nay, I'm not ill," he replied softly.  
  
"Then why is ye holdin' on ta dat mast as if yer life was in peril?"  
  
Jed shook his head and walked away from the man. In that instant he knew only the sea and from what he saw to his left, there was a heavy storm approaching. "Man the sails!" he cried when he saw the roiling black clouds racing toward them. There was no way they would be able to steer clear of the clouds. They were going to be sucked into the midst of that dark tempest.  
  
Within moments the wind was howling in their ears, the waves clawing at the aged wood of the ship and the cold air was seeping into their clothing. Rain began to slash down in torrents and was cutting into Jed's face, burning his skin with the knife-like sharpness. He could see his crew hurrying to and fro trying to take down the sails and bring in all the lose equipment. Jed's foggy mind began to weigh him down and he began to see nothing but violet eyes gazing down at him in concern, but he couldn't escape from the memory he had fallen into. As much as he knew it was just a recollection of the past, he was completely trapped.  
  
Shaking his mind free of beautiful violet hued eyes winged with delicate raven brows; he ran toward the scrambling men and began climbing up one of the three masts to loosen the sail where it had been tangled around and around from the fierce winds.  
  
"Watch out, cap'in!" someone called out beneath him. He ignored the fervent plea and continued trying to unwind the sail from the thick mast. He was gritting his teeth against the biting cold, blinking his eyes from the onslaught of rain and praying with all his might that he and his crew would survive, though he already knew the horrible truth.  
  
Before he could fathom what was happening, he was tumbling down, his body racing toward the harsh sea. He could hear shouts and cries from the ship and knew that the sudden wave that struck the ship had not only hit him, but the rest of the men as well. He closed his eyes tightly as he fell and fell.  
  
He hit the water hard, the icy waves lapping him up as if he were some sort of delectable treat that had been tossed to it for dessert. He was coughing and sputtering, water clogged his nose and filled his mouth. He was going to die.  
  
Rei watched nervously. She had been staring at him continuously for the past few moments, her breathing shallow for fear that he would become lost in his thoughts. She had sadly witnessed a soldier a few years ago drown in his own mind. He had been so consumed by memories of his times at war that he could not be made to believe that he was now safe and secure on the moon. Instead, he had relived battles and old injuries so many times that he had finally succumbed to their deadly aims. She had been of the few senshi in the room allowed to tend to him for he was a cousin to the Princess Makoto. She had sat by his bed, her mind drifting in and out of his, her eyes tearing with the pain she knew he felt every time he reentered that world.  
  
Now she watched helplessly as this stranger did the same. She looked at his bruised eyes and tried to discount the rapid movement she saw for it was the same as that of the soldier. She looked over his body, the bandages and the cuts, the scrapes and the purple discoloration that marred his tan skin. "Please," she pleaded quietly, "Don't let them consume you. . .that was the past. . .and this is the future." She closed her eyes briefly, tempted to quickly force her way into his active mind and try and extract him, but in the next instant he had shot up in the small bed, causing Rei to stumble back in shocked surprise.  
  
She looked closely at him, her heart thumping in her chest. "Jed. . ." she whispered not wanting to startle him.  
  
He was breathing hard, as if he had just run hundreds of miles with soldiers chasing mercilessly after him. He turned slowly to look at her, haunted eyes gleaming with pain. "The ship. . ." he said.  
  
Rei's hopes rose. "Yes. . .the ship," she repeated.  
  
"I remember being on the ship. . ."  
  
"A memory! Your memory has returned itself?" she asked eagerly.  
  
Jed painfully raised a hand to his brow and pressed his pounding head into the palm. He cringed as he recalled the storm, the slashing icicles that had slammed into his body. "Nay. . ." he said and Rei heard the dropping of his heart in that one word. "I. . .I can only recall being on a ship. . .a ship that I captained. . ."  
  
Rei tried to suppress the brow she knew was beginning to rise in question. "You're a captain, then. . ." she said softly. Somewhere in the back of her mind she had hoped that this bruised and battered stranger would turn out to be a prince who had come to rescue her from this isolated island.  
  
Jed shook his head and heaved an exhausted sigh. "There were many men on the ship. . .and I can't begin to think of any of their names. I can't recollect why I was even sailing in the first place. I can only see myself on that ship, trying hopelessly to save my men and myself."  
  
She didn't know what to say to him. He was still as lost in his memories, as he had been a few moments before. "You are Captain Jed," she stated with a slight smile.  
  
He shook his head again. "For some odd reason it does not seem accurate." He pressed the palm of his hand hard into his bruised eye and winced. "I cannot remember," he said angrily.  
  
Rei sat on the edge of the mattress and tentatively reached out a hand to pat his bare shoulder. "All is well. . ." she said gently, "You need time to heal. Your body is broken, Jed, and you need to give it time to mend itself. With the mending, the memories will return."  
  
The blonde head turned slowly to face her and through bruised and swollen eyes, deep blue orbs shone with pain and emptiness, such as Rei had never seen before. "I can only offer my gratitude to you, fair lady, for there is no one on this meager planet that I can imagine would ever take a strange captain into her home and tend to his wounds with such care as you have." He closed his pained eyes and leaned back his throbbing head into the comfort of the bed.  
  
Rei felt tears filling her eyes but refused to let them fall as she went down the ladder and began to make breakfast.  
  
Rei stood outside the small cottage with her mind focused on her home planet. She could not see the shining red planet in the day lit sky, but had only to close her eyes to remember the beauty of her homeland. The red sands and tall trees, the streams and brooks and smiling people; and yet the smiling people did not bring her joy, but merely sadness for the simple fact that she could remember and her patient could not.  
  
It had been nearly a week since she had rescued the injured man with no past. She had spent two days by his bed after his fever had broken and after the dreadful viewing of him losing himself in the terrible memory of his ship's sinking before she had been hurriedly called to the cliff to care for her friend and fellow prisoner of the coastline. She had left Jed in the very capable hands of Rohan while she ran swiftly to the blonde beauty's home. Once there she had spent days nursing her sick friend back to health. She had contracted a slight head cold from the cool sea breezes and Rei silently scoffed at that fact. If not for the fact that Mina was so spoiled by warm suns and gossamer clothing, perhaps sickness would not fall so readily upon her slim shoulders.  
  
"Are you still caring for that strange man?" Mina had asked when she finally was well enough to spend a few hours outside of the cottage for tea over looking the ocean.  
  
Rei set her teacup on the rough table they had fashioned out of old logs and draped with a yellow cloth before answering. "His name is Jed. . .Captain Jed if his memory is correct."  
  
Mina sipped delicately from her cup then tugged the gray woolen blanket closer to her. "His memory is in full force?" she asked hopefully. When she turned to look at her friend she noticed that Rei was pointedly staring out into the ocean.  
  
"Nay. . .he has a difficult time with his memory. It is still a blur to him, a black void of endless images that he cannot reach," she whispered.  
  
"He told you this?"  
  
Rei turned away, a sheepish grin lifting the corners of her mouth. "I must admit. . .I had to find that bit of information for myself."  
  
Mina shook her head slightly and again took a sip from her teacup. "If any of our friends or family were to find out about this, Rei. . ."  
  
"I know too well what would happen, Mina, but I cannot let him out of my cottage knowing that he has no memory besides a sinking ship and his name. T'would get him no where in this foreign place we find ourselves in."  
  
Mina bit her lip and set the cup and saucer on the table beside Rei's. "I pray you know what you are about," she said, "I am inclined to distrust the man."  
  
"Merely because he is a man?" Rei asked with a spurt of anger.  
  
"Nay. . .because of the threat against your life," she said before standing and making her way back into the cottage.  
  
Rei sat outside for a few moments more, alone with her thoughts. She had completely forgotten about that small detail, the reason why she was on this island in the first place, because someone was trying to kill her.  
  
Now, as she stood before her own cottage, she thought briefly about Mina's comment. She knew that she should be fearful for her life, seeing as how someone had tried to steal it from her, but she trusted this stranger with blonde hair. She didn't know why she trusted him so completely, but she did. There was a glimmer in his blue eyes that made her own grow alight and there was a quirk about his grin that made her smile. In the two days she had spent with him she had discovered a real fear for his survival. Despite the odd fact that his wounds healed with rapid speed while he slept, she feared that his loss of memory would be his ultimate downfall. How would he survive when he was physically healed if he was still searching for his own name?  
  
"You are healing quite quickly," she remembered saying to him the day she had gotten her summons from Rohan. "I'm inclined to believe there is a touch of magic in your bones that causes your bruises to advance to green so early and your wounds to seal without putrefaction."  
  
She had seen something flicker in those blue depths for a brief second, but as quickly as it had come it fled and he merely grinned at her. "I know not what causes me to heal so speedily. Perchance it has something to do with the beautiful nurse who tends me," he said softly.  
  
Rei raised a dark brow at him and shook her head. "You are a shameless flirt, sir," she said as she tied the bandage around his leg. She suppressed the frown that was wont to furrow her brow when she thought of the rapidity of his healing. The ugly gash that had been there only days before was shrinking and already the crusting of blood was beginning to flake away, leaving a red line where she knew a puckered scar would remain. "Do you think you can eat more for me this day?" she asked.  
  
Jed turned his head to the side briefly and looked out the small window. She knew what—or who—he searched for. The hawk that had fluttered through the window the first day of his arrival had not returned since departing that night. "Perhaps he is merely searching for his next meal," she tried.  
  
Jed shook his head on the pillow. "When I think about him, I can only see the two of us in a field of clover. . .that is the only reason why I can remember him. . ."  
  
Rei smiled gently, "It is progress, is it not?"  
  
He sighed heavily and turned his head to the side. "I'm dreadfully weary," he said before falling into a healing sleep. And healing Rei knew it was for he has slept the majority of the last few days and his wounds looked as though they had been healing for over a week.  
  
She heaved a sigh and strode up to the door of her cottage with that thought running through her mind. If he healed so quickly, what had happened to him in the several days she had been on the cliff? Had he remembered anything new? Was he becoming what he once was and remembering everything about his past that made him get on that ship and sail it to her coast? There were so many unanswered questions that she wanted to know the answers to. Why had he been the only one saved from the many men she knew was on that ship? What was in that trunk on the beach that she could not move? She had refrained from going back to the beach and trying to remove the wooden chest herself for fear of what would happen should she leave her patient alone in the loft. Now that she had time to think about what she was doing, she wondered if there was anything in that chest that could help to provoke Jed's memory into returning.  
  
Bracing herself for the changes that she was sure had taken place since she had left; she opened the door to her cottage and looked about the bottom floor. Nothing had changed in the several days since her departure. The fireplace still had a fire crackling in the hearth only this time the pot that had been empty alongside it was sitting over the hot flames steaming. She could tell from the smell that it was only hot water boiling over the bright flames, but it was still enough to tell her that the two occupants had been progressive in making tea at least.  
  
She walked slowly to the ladder that fell from the opening in the ceiling and glanced up. She heard deep hearty laughter drift down to her and for some reason that laughter made her smile and warmth flooded her body. She didn't know what it was about the laughter, but it seemed fresh and full of energy.  
  
Biting her bottom lip, she reached up and began to climb the old ladder. She called out, "Is anyone here?" as she got to the top so that she wouldn't alarm the two men. What she saw when she was standing on the top rung was something she hadn't expected to see. She had wondered what would happen while she was away, but never did she expect to see what she was seeing now. "Jed?" she whispered.  
  
The blonde man smiled at her and shakily pushed himself up in the bed to lean against the back wall. He was smiling, bright white teeth that were straight and perfect glinting in the afternoon sun. His chest was still bare, but seemed larger and stronger that she had remembered. His body looked well, but it was his face that stunned her. No longer did he have dark purple bruises swelling his eyes shut, he had healed completely and what was left for her to see took her breath away for he was the most beautiful man she had ever seen; a living god with golden hair that fell over his brow and a rakish grin. "Rei. . .it is good to see you," he said softly.  
  
Rohan looked at the pair. Rei, with her dark and mysterious stare, would be a definitely beautiful companion to the lighthearted captain. Since she and Mina had arrived, he had wondered at these lovely creatures. They could rival any woman on earth as though they were some sort of mystical fairies from another land. "Sorry, Miss Jillian, but did dis bloke jus call ya Rei?" he asked with a frown.  
  
Rei's mouth fell open and a blush began to creep across her cheeks. "Well. . ." she began.  
  
"She reminds me of the sun," Jed said swiftly. "Rays of light cascading down from the brilliant orb shining in the sky; it is reminiscent of Jillian's loveliness. She lit up this dank loft with her presence."  
  
Rei felt the full effect of a blush now.  
  
Rohan nodded in serious agreement, his mouth set. "She is dat, cap'in," he said resolutely. "Well, now dat yer back, Miss Jillian, I best be goin' home to me missus."  
  
"Yes, of course. . ." Rei replied softly. She didn't watch as Rohan gathered his meager belongings and made his way down the ladder with a bright smile. "Jed, you look—that is, you've changed. . .you've. . ."  
  
"I've healed remarkably fast, have I not? I do not understand it myself. It's as if I sleep and heal all at once. The more I sleep, the more the bruises heal and the stronger I begin to feel," he said with a radiant smile. Rei had never seen a man who looked as this one had. He was beautiful beyond words, if she could call a man beautiful.  
  
"You are stronger?" was the only thing she could manage to say.  
  
Jed shrugged his broad shoulders slightly, "Well, I like to believe it. I haven't yet left this bed, I fear that wound on my thigh aches dreadfully whenever I try and move it. Not to mention my head pounds at the slightest turn. It feels as though the world has fallen on my skull and will cease to let me rise."  
  
Rei licked her lips, a nervous gesture to indicate her unease. Jed inwardly smiled and mentally shook himself. He had never really seen her when he was within the throes of his fever. Of course he had managed to discover her beauty in an instant, but he had never looked at her as he was now. He saw not only a lovely girl but a tenderhearted angel who had rescued him from death's grasp. He was indebted to her and would do anything he could to help her on this shore. Perhaps if his head stopped aching excruciatingly and his memory returned he would be more of help for at this moment he could not think of one thing he knew how to do. "Perhaps you can help me to maneuver the leg. Rohan left a set of clothing for me to put on when I am able to walk."  
  
"I will do just that, sir."  
  
Jed cocked his head to the side, trying with difficulty to suppress the grimace that the motion caused, and smiled. "I would like to try and walk around the room today, if that suits you," he whispered.  
  
Rei blinked and then returned his smile with one of her own. And a smile it was! Jed felt his innards quake with lust. Her smile brightened her face and made her even more astonishing than she had been but a moment before. He watched as she gathered the clothing that was draped over a chair and then smooth it out on the foot of the bed. "I shall help you to stand, granted you hold that sheet closely to your body, then I will leave the room while you change into your clothing," she said.  
  
Jed nodded and took in a breath as he slowly began to swing his legs over the side of the bed, mindful of keeping the sheet firmly in place for her own state of mind. His eyes closed frequently as he tried to ignore the pounding at his temples, he did not want to distress the lovely creature. When she turned around he eagerly accepted the arm she tentatively placed around his back and braced lightly against her, his legs shaking from the effort. He had not stood in over a week and the feeling of standing sent his heart soaring. He was healing and almost completely well. Once he knew that he could walk down the shore, run through the forest and jump across logs, he would know that he could lend all his assistance to the beauty at his side. "Thank you," he said softly.  
  
Rei smiled and began to take her arm away from him, but just as she did, his shaking legs collapsed and he began to fall forward. She didn't know what else to do besides grab him and haul him against her as best she could before he had time to embarrass himself and fall to the floor.  
  
Too late for that, Jed felt like an utter fool for falling forward. His head hurt almost as much as pride and he could feel heat creeping up his collarbone. In that instant he did not want the angel's arms on him, he wanted merely to prove to her that he could walk without her help. Shaking off her arm unintentionally, he grasped onto the nightstand with one hand and held the sheet to his waist with the other. "I am well," he fairly snapped.  
  
Rei ignored the outburst, "You are not. Perhaps your legs are too weak from not being used these past several days," she tried warmly.  
  
"I said I am well," he said with teeth gritted.  
  
"You are not. You are shaking."  
  
"Leave me be!" he regretted snapping at her when he felt her tense beside him and watched her move from his side to stand before him with her arms crossed over her breasts.  
  
"You stand yet topple, am I to conclude that that behavior is normal and I should allow you to roam around my cottage without assistance? What if you were to fall again?" she asked sharply.  
  
She sounded like a displeased parent and Jed did not want to feel like a child in her presence. He didn't know where this streak of pride and arrogance came from, but he knew he would not tolerate a girl helping him walk! To diminish his status to that of a toddler was beyond anything he could accept. "If you would leave ere your virgin eyes become awash with images they should not, I will prove to you that I am capable of maneuvering on my own."  
  
Rei looked down her elegant nose at him. He was much taller than she had thought. Because she had never seen him standing up, only lying in a bed or on the sands of the shore, she had never known how tall her really was. She felt dwarfed by him for he stood over a head taller than her. She noticed that she could just reach his shoulder with the top of her head when she had helped him to stand. Now, however, that muscular tall frame was wobbling where it stood as though it were an errant twig in a storm. "You do not seem capable," she said with a brow arched.  
  
Jed felt that stab at his manly pride and tilted his head just as she had done so he could look down his nose at her. This was no angel who had nursed him to health. Certainly she had played at it, cajoling him through his fever, pressing cups of water to his lips and stroking the hair from his head, but this was no angel. More like a strong-willed nymph. "I shall prove to you that I do not need a child's help," he said loftily.  
  
The lovely nymph's mouth dropped. "I am no child!" she said. "I am ten and nine, you dolt!"  
  
"A child with a mouth," Jed replied.  
  
"Cad."  
  
"Wayward chit."  
  
Rei groaned and spun on a dainty foot to make her way to the ladder. "I will not succumb to name calling," she said as she fairly flew down the ladder. "The miserable sod. I spend the many nights I was away worrying about him and I get nothing when I return but insults and taunts," she said as she slammed pots around in an effort to clean up what did not need cleaning. "I am a Princess! I do not need to take this behavior from a mere captain. How dare he treat me like some. . .naïve child!"  
  
She glanced briefly toward the hearth and noticed the water that was still on, boiling. She turned to look up at the ladder that led to the loft and knew without a doubt in her mind that Jed would not be down anytime soon. With a smile in her eyes, she skipped over to the corner of the room where a tub stood pressed against the wall. She managed to pull the tub away, dragging it purposefully toward the center of the room so that it stood just in front of the fireplace. With a small flick of her wrist, she had the entire contents of the large boiling pot of water poured into the wooden tub. She knew she should not be using her magic, but that man upstairs vexed her to no end. She needed a hot bath to release the tension in her body and mind. She used two large pots of cool rain water to lower the temperature of the scalding water then took one more brief glance at the ladder.  
  
"He's probably gone back to bed," she said. She fervently hoped that was the case as she grabbed a white linen cloth from a small wardrobe that contained all her extra blankets and clothing. She draped it across the back of a chair that stood close to the fire so that it would warm, just as her maid Grace did on Mars, then grabbed the jasmine scented soap that rested inside the same wardrobe.  
  
Turning her back to the ladder, she stripped free of her garments, mentally giving a sigh of relief as the woolen gown fell to the grown. Though she was loath to admit to spoiled ness, she was becoming annoyed with the scratchy wool dresses she had to wear on a day-to-day basis. If she could only have one silk gown from home, she would be more than happy. If she could snuggle deep into the satin of her sheets, then she would sleep without waking in the midst of a cold night scratching her back from the itchiness of the cotton sheets away.  
  
Daintily, she stepped into the hot water and sunk down into the bath with a languid sigh. She hadn't had many times to luxuriate in a hot bath, having to use a wash cloth and basin of water to do most of the work, so she took care in her bath. She soaped her hair twice and used the pot of water that had just been laid on the fire to rinse it out. She washed her body twice, scrubbing at her limbs to take away all the dust and dirt that was wont to float around in the very air she breathed. After finishing with her bathing, she leaned her head back against the rim of the tub and closed her eyes in bliss. The last time she had been able to linger in her bath and bask in the warmth around her seemed like an eternity ago when she was on the Moon and trying to scour away the grim she felt had permanently attached itself to her body after being ogled by some old and weathered man that no one had known or invited.  
  
Rei sighed heavily and turned to drape an arm gracefully over the rim of the tub and rested her chin on top of her hand, which lay along the rim. She stared deeply into the flames that danced wildly in the fireplace and tried to search through them for her answer. Instead, she began searching through her own mind, the strange attempts on her life, the assassin who had climbed into her room. If she hadn't been in the garden arguing with Serenity about some strange Earthling that the fair-haired princess wanted to marry, she may have gotten injured. She would not have died; she knew that for her fate was not to die. She was thankful that Mina had strayed to her room in search of her and discovered the dark shadow looming over the bed in search of the princess. If she has not then he would have gotten away without punishment. As it was, he escaped, but not without knowing the full sting of Mina's wrath.  
  
She closed her eyes briefly, trying to recall exactly what she had done in her life to cause someone to come after her with a knife in hand. Had she tread on someone's foot? Did she kill someone's spouse? None of it made sense for she could not recall making any of those mistakes. She could not even think of a possibility of death, let alone murder.  
  
A loud thud came from the loft upstairs and Rei opened her eyes wide with surprise. She had almost forgotten the stranger who lived above. She glanced quickly toward the ladder and when she saw a foot descend from the opening, she fairly jumped from the water and grabbed the linen cloth that had been warming by the fire. She wrapped it around her body and held it tightly between her breasts as she watched a body then a head come through the opening. She sent an angry glower in the direction of the blonde head and almost faltered when he turned to her with a wide grin. "I did it!" he exclaimed like an excited boy who had climbed atop his first horse. "I stuck my weak legs into these breeches, I grimaced as I pulled the shirt over my head, and I nearly fell on myself as I came down this ladder, but I did it!"  
  
Rei continued to glare at him, but there was a smile threatening her through her anger. She was strangely proud of him for not giving up and trying to heal himself. "You intruded on my bath, sir," she said. As soon as the words slipped from her mouth she regretted them, for instead of the excited enthusiasm she had viewed when he first came down that ladder, the irises had turned a dark blue and the innocent, little boy face had turned into one of a man, and a potentially dangerous one at that.  
  
He stared at her, his eyes fairly burning the makeshift towel off her body. "My apologies," he managed to choke out. She was even lovelier than he had first thought. Water dripped down her shoulder and his eyes followed it unabashedly. "I was not aware. . ." he said softly.  
  
Rei bit her lip, turned her face to the side and Jed was granted the chance to view her lovely profile. Her cheeks were becoming flushed with color and her eyes were closed in embarrassment. "If you wouldn't mind," she said quietly.  
  
Jed nodded hurriedly and turned his back to her so that she could change into her gown. His memory was still fresh with the vision of loveliness he had just witnessed. He could almost feel his hand slipping over her shoulder, taking the path that the errant droplet of water had taken. He could almost smell the jasmine fragrance of her as he leaned closer to kiss her brow. He could hear the nervous beat of her heart as he smoothed a hand over her hair and down to the small of her back.  
  
"All right, you may turn around," she said gently.  
  
Jed was jolted from his daydream and turned just as abruptly. "I did not mean to intrude," he said with that smooth baritone voice that sent chills through Rei's spine. "I merely wanted to test out my strength and prove to you that I was healing."  
  
"I can see that you are healing very well, sir," she responded.  
  
Jed momentarily forgot his discomfort and smiled. "I did not believe that I would make it down that ladder. My legs were shaking like twigs on a stormy day."  
  
Rei flipped a wet strand of hair out of her face and smoothed a hand over the gray wool gown she had donned quickly. "You are healing miraculously fast, sir. Are you hungry?"  
  
Jed looked up toward the ladder and then back at the beauty before he smiled a smile so genuine and lovely that Rei had to bite her tongue. That was probably the smile he used to grab all women's attention, not just her own. "I'm famished, my lady," he said.  
  
Rei smiled tentatively and moved toward the cabinet she used as a prep station and prepared a handful of fresh vegetables to throw into the stew pot.  
  
Jed moved awkwardly around the small room, his healing leg limping as he went. He went to stare unblinking through one of the windows that overlooked the ocean. He gazed at the waves and closed his eyes against the sudden rocking of his brain. He could feel the sea swaying from side to side, could hear seagulls crashing into the water as they pulled further and further from land. He was venturing out in the ship, the broken and battered ship that was not his own. He was leaving the dock, looking out to sea just as he was now only he couldn't grasp what he was leaving or why. He couldn't make himself turn around to look at the land that he was traveling from. He couldn't fathom why he was leaving or where he was leaving from.  
  
He opened his eyes and sighed heavily. What was that invisible hand that kept him from turning around and viewing everything his mind refused to show him? Why could he not venture away from the sea and onto dry land? He pressed a finger to his temple and then turned back to look out toward the sea. He saw something flying toward him; a bird with agile wings and dark brown feathers descending on the cottage like a bolt of energy racing toward its target. He paused at that. . .where had that image come from? A bolt of energy?  
  
But as quickly as it had come, it disappeared for the bird was flapping against the glass, it's claws scrapping against the wooden frame. "Eos?" he whispered.  
  
Rei had come running toward him. "Pesky birds that have no sense in their meager brains!" she shouted trying to shoo the crazed bird away.  
  
"Nay, 'tis all right," Jed said gently. "It is my hawk."  
  
Rei turned to look at him and raised one of her elegant brows. "Your bird?" she asked, a knife still clutched in her hand.  
  
"Hawk, lady, hawk. And he wants to come inside," Jed said as he limped slowly toward the door. As soon as he was able to push the barrier open, the hawk soared through the portal, an elegant and majestic beast that slowly descended onto the back of a chair. He screeched loudly and flapped his wings impatiently. "Do you perhaps have innards of a rabbit that you do not care for?" he asked.  
  
Rei huffed and moved toward the cabinet to grab up the plate of scraps she had cleaned from a small rabbit. "Here you are," she said softly as she placed the plate on the seat of the chair. She was momentarily softened when the hawk seemed to bow its head in thanks before it swooped on the food.  
  
Jed made his way awkwardly toward the hawk and bent his head to look at the small piece of parchment that was tied to his leg. "He has a note tied to his leg," he said.  
  
Rei walked behind Jed and leaned over to see the paper tied to the bird. "A note for you," Rei stated.  
  
"Why can it not be for yourself?"  
  
Rei rolled her eyes and pointed toward the hawk, "Why would I be getting messages from a hawk that I do not even know?"  
  
Jed grinned slightly before reaching over to untie the small message.  
  
J – Wherever you are, I hope you are in good health. Eos flew at me like a bat out of hell with his eyes wide with fright. I can only assume that something has become of you. I pray that you are well for Eos would not return to you unless you were alive. I am traveling out with my men to find you and return you home. I know that Eos will not linger much longer and will fly away as soon as I tie this message to him, therefore my men and I will have to track you down the old-fashioned way. I have not seen you in many months and thus my worry for you is paramount. Please keep yourself healthy, my friend, I shall find you as soon as I can. – E  
  
Jed read over the letter with a confused frown etched onto his brow. "E. . .," he read over again.  
  
"Who is 'E'?" Rei asked curiously. She turned thoughtful eyes toward the blonde man and cocked her head to the side.  
  
He merely shook his head and pressed an empty palm to his eye. "I do not know," he said and Rei heard the frustration that laced his words. "I cannot remember. I cannot even recall what 'E' stands for."  
  
Rei reached out a hand and gently touched his wrist. "It is all right," she whispered. She looked at the message that he clutched in his right hand and sighed. She vowed then and there to help the broken mind that stood beside her if it meant she had to stay on Earth longer that she needed. She would return his mind to him and send him home, with this mysterious 'E', hale and hearty. She would not let him give up. 


	4. Chapter 3

OMG! So so so sorry this is so late. I've been trying to keep up with school work and such. I promise to try and make the next chapter come out faster than this one did. I hope you enjoy the story and I hope you all remember what happened. PLEASE REVIEW. I am serious when I say that reviews make me write faster. Every review I got made me want to write a little more, I just got so packed with school work that I only had time to write a scant few lines at a time. So do not hesitate to voice your opinions. This chapter might be a little slow, but I'm trying to build the story line and I want to make sure everyone knows exactly what is happening. So REVIEW!!! Enjoy!

Lady Hino

He crumpled the note in his hand as he pressed the other to his head. There was a pounding there, beginning just behind his temples and swamping over his entire skull. He could feel years of memories pushing at a barrier he did not erect. They were trying to flood him with their images, their words, and their emotions, but he could not admit them. It was as if he were looking through a piece of glass painted with black paint. He could faintly see shadows swimming behind it, but the dark glass prevented him from clearly viewing everything that would give him identity.

Slowly he removed his hand from his brow and turned to look at the girl beside him. Her hand was on his clenched fist and when he noticed he relaxed. The concern in her dark eyes made him forget the pain of memories lost and he felt as though he belonged in this gaze and only in this gaze. "Memories are harder to conjure up than I would like," he said.

Rei licked her lips nervously and said, "I'm sure that if you give your mind a rest, your past will return."

Jed looked down at the wrinkled parchment in his hand and shook his head. "At times I believe that the past will be more terrifying and painful than what my future holds in store for me," he said dejectedly.

She could only stroke his wrist gently in sympathy for she had never felt such an incredible loss; as if part of his mind was missing in the sea. "Time will heal old wounds," she said and led him to the small dining table where she served him a portion of the rabbit stew she had just made.

He ate it without stopping to think of the taste. He merely stared into the fire at the end of the room and contemplated the dark void that was his mind. Would he ever remember where he came from? Who his family was? Did he have a family to begin with? Was he really some ocean loving captain who sailed from port to port?

Rei looked down at the untouched stew in her bowl and then back to her patient. She contemplated helping him the only way she could think. . .to go inside his mind. How much would she risk trying to delve into that brain of his? How much would she be reveling herself if she merely stole into a part of his mind and propped open a door for him to look into when he was ready? The thoughts were churning in her head even as she stood up and walked around the small table to his side. She knelt before him, her hands resting gently on his knees. "Let me help you," she said softly.

Jed furrowed his brow and then gave her a light smile; "You have already helped me enough. Not only have you tended to my wounds and nursed me back into health; you rescued me and preserved my life with your caring nature. I could not ask for much help then that. To be alive is a true gift after the incident I went through. There is not much I can say in the way of thanks."

Rei shook her head and bit her bottom lip. "There is another way I can help you. It will require you to trust me as you have never trusted before. . ." she said softly.

He looked at her bowed head and frowned slightly. "What can you do?"

She didn't want to look up at him, but knew that the only way to try and help him would be to do this and act as quickly as possible. "Close your eyes," she whispered.

Jed raised a tawny brow at her. "Just do as you're told," Rei said trying to disguise her nervousness with annoyance. She watched those cool blue eyes disappear behind closed lids before she took a deep steadying breath. As gently as she could, she cupped her hands on either side of his head and then closed her own eyes.

It was but an instant before Jed felt another presence pressing into his mind. He could feel warmth and light where there were only dark shadows. Then, a soft hand pressed against his own and he turned in the direction of the dark cavern he knew to be his thoughts. "I cannot. . ." he said as the light guided him toward the dark.

The brightness tugged him forward, the grip on his wrist tightening. "Come. . ." it whispered in his ear. But Jed did not want to move, knew that if he tried to push through the black barrier that was before him, he and the brightness would not make it. "Do not. . ." he pleaded.

The light took on a form then, raven hair cascading over a face as serene as any angel. "I am trying to help you," she said, her body still bathed in white light. "Perhaps I can push through the barrier with you."

Jed merely shook his head. "I am warning you. . .you cannot make it."

Rei heaved a sigh and let go of his arm. "I will do it alone. . .then you can make the rest of the journey."

Jed shook his head, but try as he might, he could not move toward her. She was walking too swiftly toward the black hole of his mind. He wanted to reach out and stop her, but knew that he would not be able to get to her in time. "Please!" he called out.

But Rei pressed on. She would help him see into his past and help him to write his future. The black void was nothing a senshi couldn't handle. As she got closer to the blackness, her confidence began to wear thin. She realized too late that the blackness she thought to be a shadow shielding his mind was in fact a veil so thick and suffocating she could not trudge through it. She could hear voices behind it; could smell an entirely different world and could see nothing.

She reached out a hand to move the velvety curtain, but just as she did a scream unlike any she had ever heard flew against her and knocked her off her feet. She went spiraling backwards and could distantly hear Jed cry out her name.

"Rei!" Jed cried desperately taking hold of the hands that were curled in his blonde hair. He watched her eyes flutter open, the violet dark and misted. "Rei?"

"Impossible. . ." she breathed.

Jed held her hands tightly in his own and pressed his free hand against her brow. She was sweating, her chest heaving. "Dear lord. . .do not scare me like that!" he said to her. In that moment he wanted to grasp her to him and smooth the hair from her face. He wanted to breathe in her scent and assure himself of her safety.

Rei looked up at him with wonder in her eyes. "Your memories are blocked. . ." she said.

"Yes, I know they are. . ." he said gently.

She shook her head, "That's not what I meant. Your memories are blocked. . .magically. . ." she stated.

Jed looked at her, his eyes narrowed with disbelief, "I don't understand. . ."

Rei shook her head, "I do not understand it myself. . .your memories are hidden from everyone but yourself. . .you are the only one who can access them," she said.

Jed released her hands and rose from his chair. "I do not wish to believe what you have told me. There is no magic in my body. How could I be magical, yet not know it?"

She could do nothing but shrug and watch him pace back and forth in front of the fire. "Some people—"

"I do not care about some people! This is me, and I do not want to be connected in any way to strange magical forces! I am but a captain who most likely trades fur pelts and heavy wooden furniture. I do not want to be responsible for strange forces within my body!"

Rei felt a stirring of anger deep within her. Did he think people who possessed magical powers were such odd folk? Then what would that make her? "You are a blind fool who cannot see past his own nose. Accept that there is something different about you and leave it at that."

"I will not accept it. I merely want my mind to be mine again. I want to know whether or not I have a mother and father waiting for me at home, whether in a small cottage like this one or a country estate located high in the mountains of Italy. I want to know that I have a wife with open arms and tears in her eyes when she sees me pull into port. I want her to run to me and press kisses against my face and hug me and cry out how miserable she was while I was lost. I want to believe that I have a daughter with golden blonde curls and sea-foam green eyes who I will call Viola. . ." he paused. Why did that name hang from his lips so heavily? "Viola. . ." he whispered to the fire.

All the while Rei sat near the chair he had vacated and felt a tug with each of his wishes. Perhaps they were not wishes but truths that he was spewing forth. She ignored the slight sting in her chest and pressed the silence. "Perhaps everything is true and you are married with a daughter," she snapped. "But you cannot deny the fact that there is some sort of magical blood running through your veins."

Jed tucked the name "Viola" in the back of his mending mind and spun to face her. "Magical like you?"

Rei felt the sharpness of his words and narrowed her eyes at him. "Magical, gifted. . .any way you say it, it means the same thing," she said with a good amount of venom laced in her voice. She stood abruptly, her hair falling over her shoulder as she did. Her eyes were like twin orbs of violet fire and her heart was beating rapidly. She didn't want to be in the same room as a person who chose to cast scorn upon her magical gift. . .and even to deny his own! She felt betrayed in a strange way and marched toward the front door with a purposeful stride.

"Where are you going?" she heard Jed call out to her.

Rei didn't bother to turn around, instead she pulled open the door and made her way toward the sandy beach she knew would help to ease her mind. "How could anyone not wish to embrace such a power?" she asked herself as she picked her way across the shore; the waves rolling loudly, breaking hard and leaving white foam in their wake. She continued on, her feet guiding her while her mind churned. "Oddly," she began, "I felt such tremendous power. . .how can that be? Who is this mysterious sea captain who holds that much power beneath his stubborn exterior? How is it possible?"

She looked up as she came close to the mountainous wall in front of her. The cliff above was shading the area and chilling her bones. To live by the shores of England was to freeze yourself to death; she had decided when she first arrived. These oceans were nothing like the warm waters of Mars; she only wished that she lived long enough to test those waters again.

She climbed up into the small opening that she had dubbed her own, pulled her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around them to keep warm. "Who is 'E'?" she wondered out loud. That was another mystery that made her brow furrow with confusion. It appeared that Jed was being searched for, but by whom? When he had received that missive earlier her heart had given a little shudder. Who knew he was here?

Jed pressed a palm to his brow and sighed heavily. He was a cad to insult a beautiful woman with the heart and soul of an angel. . .albeit her temper was fiery enough to ignite any cold heart. He did not scorn magical gifts, he was simply afraid of them. He had no memory of every using magic, had no knowledge of magic swimming through him and to be told by a girl with an active mind that he was of magical decent scared him to the very core of his being. What did that make him? Whose control was he in?

He paced back and forth before the hearth and frowned in thought. There was something about this that he did not understand. He wanted to know who he was!

He threw himself into one of the solid wooden chairs at the dining table and propped his head in his hands. If only he could remember. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and delved as deep as he could into the black void that hovered just beyond his reach. He clumsily raced through a tunnel of visions. He could see faces, yet could not put names to them. He could see houses, laughter, fighting, roiling waters, grassy hills. . .he could hear swords, could smell blood, and could feel warmth on his face. Yet when he pulled free of the blazing tunnel, the only think that remained with him was the knowledge of death.

Was this a memory?

He stood abruptly and held desperately to the feeling. He could sense pain, sorrow and could taste loss. He knew this feeling too well, could name it without thinking. It was death and he was sure that he had witnessed it more than once. It would be understandable, seeing as how he was a captain on a ship that probably sent many men to their salt-water graves. But this was different. . .he felt death as if it were in his own home, in his own hands. It made no sense.

At that moment he didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to feel this all-consuming dread that engulfed him like an airless wind. He wanted to be in the presence of another, to bask in their eternal warmth and forget this feeling of death.

He strode quickly to the door of the cottage and ran out onto the beach. He needed to be gone; he needed to feel life surrounding him and needed to ignore the aching heart that the feelings of death had left him with.

He strolled down the beach, trying to look as nonchalant as possible while still keeping his eyes open for any sign of raven hair blowing in the wind. He saw her curled up in a small nook carved within the jagged rock. For a brief instant he felt anger for she could have cut herself on the sharp slippery rock trying to climb up into the hole, but he squelched it as quickly as it had come. He had no attachment to this girl, merely owed her thanks for saving his life, which he would do when his memory returned to him. Perhaps he would take her on his ship and sail her far away from his English island to an exotic land full of wild birds and rapid rivers. He again squelched the idea; he was not courting her!

"Rei?" he called out to the lone figure in the rock, but before he could get close enough to call out her name again, a flash of black shot out from the top of the cliff and landed in front of her. "What the—" Jed yelled as he raced toward her. "Rei!" he called louder.

Rei turned her head when she heard her name, just in time to see a figure cloaked in black with a black mask covering the lower part of his face, standing before her. She let out a gasp and then jumped out of the nook and onto the beach. His black eyes followed her every movement. She stared at him just as intently. He was holding a gleaming silver sword in his right hand, the blade was curved and the handle was wrapped in a black silk. It was a menacing looking weapon, but Rei had seen more impressive ones in her short life. "What do you want?" she asked the figure. She heard her name being called out again and recognized the voice as Jed's, but simply chose to ignore it. Perhaps he would be smart and run away.

"I've come for you, princess," he said, dragging out the title. Rei mentally shook herself. How did he know who she was?

"That is not the answer I am searching for," she said. She wanted to toss a ball of red glittering sparks into the air above Mina's house, to warn her that danger was near, but knew that she could not.

"I'm afraid it is the only answer I can offer, princess," came the voice again. Rei took note that it was raspy and low, the kind of voice only an assassin would use when he stalked his prey. She could see Jed's running form out of the corner of her eye. She blinked and looked back at the man who held the sword so threateningly before her.

"Fire," she whispered. A ball of flame ignited in her hand. She prayed Queen Serenity would not be upset with her, but she had no other choice. It had to be understood that in emergencies like this one, magic would have to be used. "You had better not come any closer," she said softly, the ball of fire burning brightly in her hand.

Jed paused just beside a boulder and watched the fire that sparked to life in her hand. Dear Lord! This girl not only had magic weaving through her mind, but she had it running through her entire body. He was astounded and at the same time felt a tingling of familiarity with the motion. He imagined that if he had seen this display of ability only a month earlier, he would not be so surprised and fascinated.

Rei tossed the fire ball across the distance at the stranger and it landed hard against his chest. With a grunt, the black-masked man fell backwards. He raised a hand and in it held a small silver dagger with the same twisted blade as the sword and flung it at her with a sharp jerk.

Rei jumped to the side, the blade scraping along the side of her bodice. She felt a slight sting but chose to ignore it as he flew at her with his arms outstretched. He caught her around the neck, his hands gripping so tightly she felt the air slipping from her lungs. She tried vainly to pry his hands off her neck, her nails digging into his wrists, but he was firm. In that instant she wished she could call on more magic than she had used, she wished she could—

It felt like a warm ocean spreading across her body. She suddenly felt safe and protected like she had never felt before. Her vision was blurred for she believed she had fallen unconscious while the black masked man's hands were wrapped so crushingly around her neck. She looked up and blinked several times for the image before her could not be real. It was as though she was looking through a gossamer veil at the beach and right in front her, his back turned and his legs braced wide, was none other than Jed.

She felt the shock wash over her like the fire scorching her soul. Where had Jed come across these powers? She looked now through the haze and saw that the masked man was kneeling before Jed, his own hands clamped around his own throat. Jed stood straight and tall, his hands fisted at his side and his body tense. She shook her head slightly and blinked rapidly. She could not and would not assume that what she saw was true. This man possessed no more powers than the rock that lay at her side.

"Jed?" she breathed. The name came so softly from her lips that she did not hear it herself, yet this strange and mysterious blonde angel that she thought she knew so well turned and furrowed his brow.

"I cannot answer your question at the moment," he said with strain. She noticed then that the fisted hands at his side were white-knuckled and there was sweat dripping down the sides of his face. This was costing him more than the pain he had been suffering only days before.

She watched him turn his back and stalk stiffly toward the still figure. "You will not harm a soul again, is that understood?" he stated. There was such power and command in his voice that Rei was sure that it was not something he was unfamiliar with. He stood as though he knew how to give a command. He spoke without fear of being ridiculed and mocked. This was something she had not expected to see and it made her heart pound rapidly in her chest. She wanted to reach out and touch him, touch the aura that surrounded her like the protective arms or a mother. . .or a lover.

The masked man hoarsely coughed out a "yes" and Rei watched Jed loosen the grip on his right hand. The masked stranger gasped in air and reached out a hand to claw at the beach. "Who sent you?" Jed asked coldly.

The stranger shook his head and breathed in heavily, stirring the sand beneath him. "I will not answer these questions," he said.

Jed tightened his fist again and the masked man gasped out in pain. "Tell me who sent you," Jed said calmly.

The hooded eyes rose to challenge those of icy blue and he smirked so devilishly that Jed almost lost his grip on himself. "You will be punished, general, oh yes you will. You have failed and you will be punished."

Jed glared hard at the smirking face and tightened his hand again, only this time, the masked stranger did not seem to care. He continued to smirk that awfully challenging and sickening smirk that made Jed's innards squirm. He had no choice; he opened his hand briefly, saw the look of victory flash through the man's eyes and then quickly clapped his hands together in an ear-splitting crash.

The masked man glowed white before bursting into brilliant lights of gold, then disappeared.

Jed breathed in through his nose and turned to look at Rei. He could feel his body aching and his wounds stinging. He had used too much of himself in that moment and knew that whatever power had helped him to heal as quickly as he did was now dissolving and regressing back on itself. He could feel the searing heat of pain slashing through his leg and felt weary beyond belief. "Rei," he managed to croak. "Are you well?" he asked.

Rei stood slowly and walked out of the hazy aura that was beginning to break away. "What are you?" she asked softly.

Jed shook his head and caught himself before he fell to his knees. His head was reeling, his legs shaky, he wasn't sure how long he could continue to stand on the beach and answer her questions. He felt as though his entire body had been thrown from a cliff and buffeted against the rocky shores. "I do not know," he replied.

And Rei saw such confusion and grief written on his face that she did not dare to question him further. She would struggle through finding the answer herself if that was the case. She realized in that moment that this man had changed her life completely. She was no longer going to travel on the same road she had thought she would. Her life had been forever altered the moment she saw the blonde angel lying on her beach. "Come," she said softly, holding out her hand to him, "I will take you home and we will see to it that you are put to bed."

Jed looked at the outstretched hand with wonder. Was this beauty really offering her kindness and generosity to a man she had just seen kill someone? Was she willing to take his hand and lead him back into the cozy cottage and allow him to sleep in her bed when he had no knowledge of where the power had come from? A power he could not freely call his own?

He reached out a shaky hand to hers and closed his eyes with pleasure and comfort when she curled her fingers tightly around his. "I care not what you are," she whispered. Jed's ears perked up and his pain momentarily fled. "I care not what you were in the past. . .nor do I care what you may become in the future. I am grateful beyond words that you saved my life," she said. Jed looked down into her face and saw there something he had not seen in a long while. Trust.

"The power that flows through me is power that is meant to serve you," he said.

Rei wasn't sure what to make of that, but smiled in any case. She led him slowly back to the cottage, his hand tucked gently in her own and put him to bed. As she climbed down the ladder she recalled the event on the beach and stroked a finger down her cheek. "Who are you, Jed," she whispered to herself.

When he woke the next morning, his body felt supple and loose. He felt alive and free of all the stresses of his normal general duties. For some odd reason he knew he did not have to train his men today. He did not have to sit in the sun for hours at a time, his sword held loosely in his hand as he surveyed the mock battle on the hilly lands of his home. He could merely lie in his bed, warm and content and at ease with himself.

He turned his head on the pillow and looked out of the window at the gently swaying trees. He felt himself smirking before he felt himself smile. He was relaxed and well and his mind was clear.

He sat up in bed, his eyes wide with wonder. Was he remembering his past?

He looked down at his hands and examined the knuckles of his fingers. He was just remembering something. He could feel the remnants of the feeling sifting in and out of his body. He couldn't grasp onto the word, but he knew the feeling of being carefree. He remembered standing on a hilltop with his hands clasped firmly behind his back and ten score of men lining the hillside below him.

The man he had killed had called him general. Is that what he was? A general? Was he no mere sea-dwelling captain with a gentle wife who would bake him bread and stir him soup? Was he a war-crying, sword-wielding general with a battalion of men to order about?

He shook his head and turned to look at the opening in the floor. A dark head of hair was emerging and with the sight he felt his bones grow weak and his heart race. "Rei. . ." he sighed.

"Good morning, Jed," she said cheerfully.

He didn't understand her good mood, but took it in stride. "Are you well this morning, Rei?" he asked gently.

Rei smiled down at him and handed him the piece of bread and cheese she had gathered from the cabinet down stairs. "I am hale and hearty. Are you well?"

Pleasantries were not something he was good at. It never held his interest for long. "I still do not remember where the power came from," he said without introduction.

She merely nodded her head and looked out the window at the same swaying trees he had been looking at earlier. "I did not expect the answer to come to you with one night's rest. I also know that whatever power it is you have, it is strong and you must learn to control it. I could see yesterday that the control came with difficulty."

Jed remembered all too well the straining he had felt as he tried to keep that magnificent strength in him bottled. He had felt protective and worried as he had never felt before. "I wanted only to assure myself that you were well."

Rei nodded and moved toward the ladder. "I must journey to the top of the cliff, but I will not be long. "

"Why do you climb to those heights?"

She turned back and looked at him with her head cocked at a fetching angle. "I've run out of food and need to replace it else we shall starve."

Jed nodded and turned to look at the piece of bread in his hands. "I shall go with you, if you but give me a moment," he said softly.

Rei felt a moment's panic before she smiled. "There is no need. You should rest. You are not completely healed from the storm and I would see to it that you are well before you journey anywhere. . .especially up a mountain."

He nodded slowly and did not bother to look up as she climbed down the ladder. When he heard the door to the cottage open then close, he jumped out of the small bed and shoved the piece of bread into his mouth. He took a sip of the water that sat by the bed then threw on the borrowed clothing. He would force the memories back into his mind. He needed to know who he was; he needed to be certain that he was here for a reason and not merely to lie about in a small cottage with an empty mind.

"How long has it been?"

"I do not know. . ."

"You must know! This is not proper! He could be dangerous!"

Rei turned to look at her friend and there was such sadness in her eyes that Mina could not hold her anger. "Rei, listen to me. . ."

"No, I have heard enough. I know he is a stranger, I know he could be evil, but I do not care."

"You do not care? Rei, there is an assassin out roaming the universe searching for your head!"

She refused to listen to her friend. There was no reason to judge someone merely because. . .

"Mina. . .I have had enough of your useless squalling. Tell me if you have had any word from Serenity," Rei said.

Mina threw herself into a chair and crossed her arms over her chest. "No, I have not and I am so bored and feel so useless that I am thinking of taking myself home this instant. You can go and play with your lost sea captain and I will go home and train like senshi do."

Rei shook her head and knelt in front of the blonde beauty. "I know you are bored, princess, and I know you are upset with me because I do not come and visit you as often as I said I would, but I have much to do down on my little beach. Besides, you play with the babe that Rohan's wife has borne and you busy yourself with making new battle plans for us senshi to go over with you. Sit here a while longer and give me time to figure out just who this stranger is. I will send him home once his memory has returned and once I know he is no threat."

The girl in the chair sighed heavily before nodding. "Be careful. . .who knows what sorts of strength he wields," she warned.

But Rei knew too well the strength the man had. She had witnessed power comparable to her own and had felt the steely strength of his hands on hers. Yes, she would be wary of him for she knew just the sort of man he was. A man she could not entangle herself with. A man who was beginning to wedge his way into her heart. A man she was capable of caring too strongly for.

She did not tell Mina of the power she had seen. Nor did she tell her friend of the roiling emotions that churned in her like an angry sea. There was no reason to alarm her friend. She would continue on with the original plan, she would find out who this stranger was, return his memory, send him home, then find out who was trying to have her murdered.

As she strolled leisurely down the hill, she noticed a figure standing on the beach, working diligently to dislodge the large trunk from the rocks. She recognized the figure as Jed and quickly made her way to the shore. When she reached him, he was pushing with all his strength against the back of the trunk. "Do you require any assistance?" she asked pleasantly.

Jed stopped and turned to look at her. His hair was plastered to his forehead with perspiration and his chest was heaving. "Nay, I need no help. I've managed to get it loose, now all I need to do is push it until it becomes free," he said wiping a hand over his brow.

Rei looked toward the trunk that she noticed had become loose. "What do you hope to find?" she questioned.

Jed shook his head and kicked the object. "I know not what to expect. I came to the shore to find peace from my mind, but then espied the trunk. Perhaps there will be some key to my past in there. . .but I do not want to liven my hopes," he said not looking at her.

Rei nodded slowly and watched him regain his position and push against the heavy oak trunk with his shoulder. She wanted to lend him help, but for some odd reason felt that it was not her place to do so. Perhaps that is why the trunk had never become available to her.

With a loud 'crack', the trunk slipped out of the rocks and fell to the wet sand. Both looked at it with something akin to surprise and neither moved from their position. "Open it," Rei said softly.

Jed looked hard at the trunk and took a deep breath. "There probably isn't anything in there but clothing and mayhap a book or two," he said.

"You will never now until you open it."

Jed merely blinked before moving toward his goal. When he knelt on his knee to open the lid, Rei held her breath. She didn't know what to expect, but there was a part of her that prayed and hoped that it would not jog his memory into action. She wanted to be a part of that wonder.

She shook her head. Why was she thinking that? She blinked back the thought and opened her eyes to what Jed was doing. She saw the lid had been thrown back and he had disappeared inside. "What is it?" she asked, still reeling from her original thoughts.

Jed emerged holding out a handful of clothing that looked to be made from silk and then a book. "I told you it was nothing but clothing and books," he said with a grin.

Rei mentally let out a sigh of relief and moved to stand beside him. "This clothing is beautiful," she said stroking the shirt he held in his hand. It was made of a cream silk; the laces at the neck were a satin chord of rich blue. It was a shirt made for a prince, not a mere captain. "Is it yours?" she asked.

Jed fingered the silk and then furrowed his brow. His concentration was fierce, yet there was no recognition in his face. "I do not know," he said quietly. He let the shirt fall back into the trunk and then opened the book in his hands. "A bunch of useless silk and satin clothing and a book about warfare...nothing in this blasted box makes any sense to me," he said frustrated.

He felt warm fingers on his forearm and looked down at the raven-haired goddess who stood beside him. No matter how many times he looked in her direction, she seemed to grow more and more beautiful. Her eyes were lit up with a fire he had not seen before. There was something warm and gentle in her eyes that made his heart lurch to grab her to him. Instead he leafed through the book until he had reached the back cover.

"Jadeite. . ." he said, running a finger over the bold scrawl on the back cover.

Rei looked down at the word and cocked an eyebrow at him. "Jadeite. . .jadeite is a stone," she said gently.

"Nay. . .there is something...something about this...Jadeite..." he whispered, "Jadeite. . .Jade. . .Jed. . ." his eyes lit up, "It is my name, Rei!"

Rei blinked up at him. "I do not understand. You said your name was Jed," she replied.

"It is. My name is Jed. . .but it is a nickname for Jadeite," he smiled. He seemed to be as excited as a school boy. "The sound of it is so clear. I can picture an older woman reaching out her hand and calling to me with that name on her tongue," he said. He reached down and grabbed up a twig on the sandy ground, then smoothed his hand over the sand. He proceeded to make long and elegant strokes in a bold hand. The name that emerged was an exact match to that in the book.

Rei felt her heart plummet. For some reason that name sounded familiar to her as well, but she could not think of where she had heard it before. She remembered her grandfather telling her about the great healing powers that jadeite held, but she also remembered hearing someone named Jadeite being called in court. Why could her own memory not serve her correctly?


	5. Chapter 4

Wow! That took a long time! So sorry everyone…but you know how school and writer's block works. I hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter. I really do appreciate every review that was sent! I read them all…twice! I'm so happy you are all enjoying the story. I hope this chapter makes sense. Feel free to review this one as many times as you like! The more the merrier! Have fun!

Lady Hino

>>>>>

"That's wonderful, Jed," she said softly.

Jed continued to leaf through the book with a somewhat awed expression. "I may not be able to recall what this book is mentioning, but at the same time everything seems so clear and understandable…as if I have known this book even before I ever opened it," he said with pride.

Rei didn't know what to say. It was as if his memory was returning as fast as lightening and she felt as though at any moment he would forget who she was. "I am very happy for you," she said with a gentle smile.

Jed turned to look at her, his eyes bright with joy. "I have you to thank," he said.

She didn't know what to say to that and simply touched a finger to the binding of the book he held. "You need not thank me. This was bound to happen," she replied finally. Then, of a sudden, Rei caught her breath for Jed had wrapped a strong arm around her waist and pulled her hard against him.

Her head felt light and her limbs went weak, but she held herself as still as possible for fear of what was to come. His body was hard and tense against her own and his lips were a breath away from her brow. She stared intently at his collarbone that peeked through the loose shirt he wore and breathed slowly, knowing all the while that his eyes were glued to her. "Sir?" she whispered.

Jed couldn't help himself. Every minute of every day that he gazed upon this beauty, his mouth went dry, his body went rigid and his mind reeled with thoughts of moonlit nights and softly roiling waves. He desperately wanted to run his hands through her hair and breathe in the warm sweet summery scent of her. He wanted to grace her brow with kisses and stroke her body until she cried out with want. He didn't know what came over him when he grabbed her to him, wasn't sure if it was the best idea he could have had. He felt his body reacting to her and knew in that moment that if did not pull away soon; he would lose all his control. "Rei…" he whispered against her brow.

She wasn't certain what she was feeling. His warm breath on her skin made her heart beat faster and wilder against her chest. She licked her lips nervously and put a hand on his chest. She felt his body tighten, his arm around her waist gripped her harder. "I…" she began hesitantly.

Jed knew that she was scared, knew that he shouldn't have attacked her like he had. "I'm sorry, Rei," he said gently. He took a deep breath, inhaled the faint flowery jasmine sweetness of her skin and pulled away. When he looked into her eyes he noticed the haze that had come into them and he felt his body give a shudder. "I truly am sorry," he said.

Rei merely smiled lightly and turned to look at the trunk that still stood ajar. "There are many things in here," she said pulling out a deep blue silk shirt that gleamed in the sun. She knew that if this were to lie against his skin, the color would only serve to deepen the already mystifying blue of his eyes.

He turned away from her, slightly embarrassed by his uncontrolled action, but also confused and dazed at what was happening to him. "Yes…" he replied softly, "There are many things…I only wish that they made an whit of sense to me…"

>>>>>

"Which way do we turn?" a voice said from in front him. He was staring straight into the sun, the brightness blinding him but warming him at the same time. He brushed his dark hair from his eyes and turned in the direction of the voice.

"I would guess east," he said to the voice.

"East, west…north, south…this search has gone on for far too long! It is obvious that we do not know which way to go at all," said the man on the right.

"If only that damned bird had not flown away so quickly. He would have shown us the way if someone had not stalled to high heaven, packing away the rest of his life!" shouted the man on the left.

The last man who was behind the other three rolled his eyes and pointed toward the sky, "If only the sun were to lay herself down to sleep, I'd be able to map out a route based on the night sky," he said, ignoring the angry soldier.

"Listen to all of you! We are looking for Jadeite! Stop fighting like a couple of young hens and pay attention! I do not want to lose a general; I will not lose a general so you will all listen to me and stop instigating the others."

"He's right," said the very regal voice said in front of him, "This bickering will get us no where. Concentrate, men. If we do not find him, something terrible could be the result. I know all of you see Jadeite as a brother, how would you feel if your brother had been hunted and eaten by wolves because he is too weak from some fierce wound to fight them off?"

"But that would never happen," said the cocky voice from the right. "He is too powerful to let mere angry beasts attack him."

"Not if he is seriously wounded. Just the other night, the stars seemed to have rotated and Mars and Venus shown brighter in the sky that they had ever done before. Something strange is happening in the universe. It was almost as if Mars and Venus were sending signals to the universe."

"No, that cannot happen," said the man in the middle. He ran his hand through his dark hair again and looked up into the sun, feeling the warmth on his face, but merely coldness in his chest. "The stars always have a purpose to their actions. You are probably reading too much into the light coming from them and perhaps being out in the country, the light is different. As for Jed…if he were dead, I would know. As it stands, he is merely a dot in my mind that I can not grasp hold of. It is as if his mind is in another place, yet his body is still on earth. I can feel his physical presence. It is as strong as all three of you, but when I try to delve into his mind to bring his face into view so that I may find him and bring him home, he runs. I know not what this means, but I do not like it at all…"

The others in his company merely looked down at the reins in their hands and said nothing more. Their leader kicked his heels into the horse's flanks and spurred him toward the east. "I will find you, Jadeite…" he whispered as he raced through the trees, the other three men and a dozen more soldiers following him quickly. "Do not give up on me…I have not given up on you…"

>>>>>

Jed stared out into the ocean, stared at the winking stars in the sky. He wasn't certain he could recall any of the names of the stars and planets, but he noticed the strange pattern they seemed to flash. As if one were alerting the other of some sort of danger…

He turned to look at the small cottage nestled in the trees. There was smoke coming from the chimney and he knew that the occupant inside was preparing dinner. He had found a small knife inside the trunk and discovered that he was deft and able to throw it accurately from long distances. He had gone off to practice after his embarrassing display earlier. He threw and tossed and made that knife fly so many times at a small tree that when he was finished, he feared the tree would fall over with the merest breath of wind. But it had helped to clear his mind…well…clear it from the mess that it was in.

He had managed to kill two rabbits and a bird with his knife and had delivered them to Rei the moment he cleaned them. He wondered at his instinctual abilities to kill a creature, skin, and then clean it. The past life he led must have been one of hardships for he found he was quite adept at fending for himself; though day by day he found himself wanting more and more to depend on a raven-haired angel.

Just then a sound in the trees caught his attention. He turned toward the forest behind the cottage and walked swiftly toward the sound. He was silent as he approached the rustling in the bushes. His feet trod gently on the ground and his eyes remained unblinking as he came up upon the sound. He pulled his knife from his boot and held the handle up near his shoulder, ready to throw it if the need arose.

As he came closer to the sound, he paused and readied himself to toss it and just as he brought his arm back, a head popped out of the brush and he was staring into startling blue eyes similar to his own. A shriek issued from the small mouth and he was so startled at what he uncovered that he threw the knife.

It landed right beside her ear in tree.

Another shriek.

"I am terribly sorry!" he said trying to approach her, but she had lashed out and was flailing her arms wildly. "I did not mean—"

"What in the name of Mars…Mina?" came the angel's voice.

"Rei!" the girl cried her hands stopping in mid-air. She had not realized she was grabbing onto Jed's shirt until she stopped to stare at her friend. "Rei!" she cried again, releasing Jed, "He tried to kill me! He threw a knife! He was going to skin me alive and feed me to the alligators!"

"There are no alligators here…" Jed whispered.

"That is beside the point! You were going to kill me!"

"I heard a noise in the brush and I was merely trying to protect Rei," he said gently.

Rei blinked in his direction and then shook the haze from her mind and turned to her friend. "What are you doing here?"

Minette flung her heavy gold hair over her shoulder and then glared at Jed. "I was coming here to protect you from this…this…"

Jed raised an eyebrow at her.

"This man!" she said finally. She was huffing in her anger at almost having a knife released in her throat.

"You should not be down here," Rei said.

"And neither should he!" she screeched back.

Jed grimaced at the sound and then turned to look at Rei. There was a laugh in his eyes that she could not miss and she almost succumbed to smiling herself, but controlled herself and walked toward her friend. "Here, Mina, come with me…" she said and took her hand.

"My name is not Mina!" she said suddenly.

Rei shook her head. "It's too late. He knows my name and it's obvious that he knows yours as well…seeing as how we've been using it constantly these past few minutes," she said softly.

"I don't like this at all…"

"Rest assured, lady, that I will not divulge your secret to anyone besides the birds and fish," Jed said with a wicked grin.

Mina turned to look at him and lifted her chin into the air. But she did have to admit, he was devilishly handsome, this golden bronzed man with his honey-gold hair and sparkling blue eyes. They were darker than hers and didn't have the same gleam of silver as hers did, but they were lovely.

As the two girls headed toward the cottage, low whispers wafting his way every other word, a prick at the back of his mind alerted him to a new presence approaching. Well, he thought that was what the feeling was but he couldn't be sure. He had never felt this before…or had he? He turned and looked behind him, willing something to come out of the shadows. His hand remained still by his side, the retrieved knife loosely held. It wasn't a threat he was sensing, but what was it? His brow furrowed as he stared into the shadows of the trees. The dark beyond the light of the cabin seemed strange and eerie…but he knew that the prick he felt would not harm him.

He turned back in the direction of the cottage and saw Rei standing on the front step looking at him with her head cocked to the side. "You look worried," she said when he came up to her.

"Nay…not worried," he replied quietly.

"I have Mina inside dishing up the stew I made from your rabbits. Are you all right?" she whispered putting a hand on his sleeve.

He stared at that small delicate hand and inside his stomach lurched. He wanted to grab her to him again and feel the length of her pressed to his body. He wanted to lean down and pull her head forward for a kiss that would leave her stunned and bemused and craving more.

Instead, he patted her hand gently and smiled. "I'm well, my lady," he said softly.

"Just Rei," she replied.

Jed smiled and then waited for her to return the smile before he made to follow her inside. But just as he was closing the door, the prick turned into an incessant tingling and his brow furrowed curiously again. What was this? He looked back into the shadows he had been contemplating before and frowned. "What is it? Why are you looking for me?" he whispered to the night.

>>>>>

He came up quickly.

"What is it?" someone panted by his side.

He merely turned his head and looked to the right. "We're close…" he whispered.

"How can you be certain?"

He closed his eyes and reached deep inside of himself. "Damnit!" he yelled.

"Did you lose him?" another asked.

A shake of the head was his reply. "It's not that I lost him…it's more the fact that I cannot determine how he feels. I can sense him stronger now, but he is still but a speck on a large map. And he is…uncertain. There is something terribly wrong with him. His mind has never been this active but so…inactive at the same time."

"How is that possible?"

"His thoughts are running wild, he is thinking about everything around him, but…there is no magic freely flowing through his mind. It is as if it is blocked…I'm worried," he said softly.

"As are we all…"

"Come, he is this way."

"Our search has lasted us many days…"

"Do not complain to me. I will not rest until I find him and bring him home and see that he is well. I have grown since a toddler with all of you and I will not let it end now. Our lives are meant to continue. You serve me until I die and I do not plan on dying anytime soon…therefore you will all be together serving me as one."

The three of them stared after their lord as he raced toward the right. "We are not complete until the fifth one rides strong with us," said one of the older ones. His long silvery hair brushed against his cheek and he dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

They nodded in unison then raced after their lord, their capes flying behind them in velvety waves.

>>>>>

"You are not hungry?" Rei said softly.

Jed looked at her and then smiled gently. "I have much on my mind, is all," he said. He looked at the ladder that led up the stairs to the loft. "How is Mina?"

Rei shook her head and smiled. "Sleeping…she doesn't trust you but knows that there isn't much she can do about it. So…after I had a sound talking with her, she decided that it was too dark to return home and went up to sleep in my bed."

Jed frowned. "I feel terrible…you give up your bed to many people," he said.

She shrugged her shoulders, quite gracefully he thought…if it was possible. "I was trained to appreciate the little aspects that make up life. I could sleep most soundly on a wooden floor with a large fire roaring in front of me than the softest down mattress with silken sheets," she said staring into her own small fireplace. She wished then she had her fire in front her. The bright flames that lit up the large shrine always made her heart soar with renewed faith and belief in herself. Perhaps if she had that fire with her, she would be able to see what it was that caused Jed's strange memory loss.

She turned then to look at him and was surprised to find him staring at her. "What is it?" she asked skeptically.

Jed shook his head and then looked back down at his half eaten bowl of stew. It was quite tasty, the meat tender and the broth rich. "I wonder where my life was going before I appeared on your shore," he began, "I wonder about the strange sensations that run through my mind…I wonder why I cannot untangle the mess of thoughts in my mind."

Rei started to sit, but he shook his head again and she continued standing. When he rose from his own chair to tower over her, she felt a moment's worth of fear before she blinked resolutely and stared up at him. "I begin to wonder what sort of man you were before your memory was lost as well," she said softly.

"It is not a matter of what man I was…for I believe with all my heart that I was the same man. It is more a matter of what I was before my mind went blank. Was I a sea-fairing captain who lived out his days on a ship's prow with wind and sea water spraying into his face? Or was I perhaps a farmer who tilled his own lands with his own hands? Or perhaps an advisor to a great lord for this accent of mine cannot have come from anywhere but a court," he said as he moved even closer to her. "Or perhaps I was sent to you on this beach to help you."

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Help me? I am not the troubled soul in this room."

"Nay…you are not troubled…you are trapped. But why I wonder would you feel this way?"

"You cannot honestly believe that you know my thoughts," she said with a definite tone of anger laced through her words.

"I may not know precisely what your thoughts are, my lady, but I can read your eyes as well as any mage…"

She blinked up at him again and felt her pulse quicken. Never had she seen such blue eyes staring at her with such a glow. It was almost as if he were delving deep into her soul, searching without effort to find her inner most desires and bring them to the surface. "I do not know you, sir," she said on a whisper, "You are so foreign to me…a stranger from a land I do not know."

A hand came up to caress her cheek, "I am but a stranger to myself," he replied. "I do not know who I am or where I come from…but at this moment…I feel that I was brought to your shore…nay, to you…for a reason. If it means that I came to caress your cheek and kiss your eyelids when you cry for your homeland…"

"How did you—"

"—or if it means I am sent here to stroke your hair as you stare into the endless night and all you to rest your head on my shoulder when you weep for loved ones—"

"What?"

"—Whatever the reason may be…I believe that I am here for you."

She was looking at him in shock. How in the universe did he know that she cried herself to sleep some nights? Desperate to be home with her mother and father and brother? How did he possibly know she stared at the sky, willing Serenity to call them home? How? "I do not…"

"I may not have a mind, Reina…but I have a heart and when tears slip from your eyes, my heart tugs painfully in my chest. When you feel sorrow, I only know sorrow…" he leaned down and cupped the back of her head in his palm, "When you pray for absolution, I want to lay my head on a stone slap and give up my life if only it would help you find absolution…"

She felt tears in her eyes. "You cannot mean what you say…"

Jed was almost nose to nose with her. She could feel his warm breath on her lips, feel his words as he whispered them against her mouth, "I do not know why it is I feel this way…perhaps it is because I do not have a mind to call my own and therefore I must prey on yours…but I know I feel it." And before she could utter another word, his mouth had descended upon her own. She felt lightheaded and warm; his lips were soft and gentle as they caressed hers. She felt his head tilt to the side, felt his hand slipping further into her hair, his fingers tangling in the massive locks. Her head was spinning and her mind was going blank. All she felt was his warmth and his strength.

Jed pulled away and looked down at her closed eyes. It had felt like heaven; like a fresh rainbow after a storm. He couldn't stop, didn't want to stop. He leaned down again and possessed her with a kiss that shook her entire body to the core. He was savage now, the kiss hard and hot and beautiful. She felt his hand pull out of her hair and his thumb pressing lightly on her chin. She opened her mouth slightly and felt his tongue plunge in. Her knees gave and she nearly fell to the ground in a puddle of liquid fire, but his arm came around and he pulled her hard against his body. She felt a new string of sensations fly through her and gave out a soft whimper because of them.

He couldn't believe how responsive she was. She was like holding molten lava in his arms; her hands were grasping his shirt, her tongue copying his own thrust for thrust. He felt himself growing harder and harder by the second. He wanted to pull her down with him in front of the fire and ravage her. When he heard her whimper in the back of her throat, he let out his own groan of satisfaction.

Just then the tingling that had been plaguing him the entire night, the sensation that had robbed him of his thoughts turned into a pounding and he pulled away from her suddenly, causing her to grasp onto the table in an effort to steady herself. Her breath was harsh and fast, her chest rising and falling rapidly. "Jed?" she said breathlessly.

He pressed his fingers tightly to his temples and began rubbing hard. "Something…someone…is calling me…" he said through gritted teeth. "It hurts…"

Rei rushed forward, the passion of just a few seconds ago forgotten. "What do you mean someone is calling you?" she asked in all seriousness. She was pressing her own hands to his temples, brushing his fingers away in an attempt to delve into his mind. "What is happening?" she asked herself as he fell to his knees.

His breathing was harsh and ragged, as if he had run ten miles without stopping. She stared hard into the blue eyes that were misted over with pain, that were clouded with confusion. "Jed!" she cried to him, "Do not concentrate on the pain."

Footsteps were heard upstairs and down from the ladder came Mina, her eyes wide with fright. "What's happening?" she asked.

"I do not know," Rei said and turned back to Jed. "Jed…"

Mina, though her instinct told her no, raced to the cupboard and found a cloth that she dipped into fresh water that had been placed near the fire. She rushed back to Rei and handed her the cloth and watched her friend press the cool cloth to his forehead.

"My name…he's calling my name…" he said and closed his eyes in an effort to escape the strange sensations. It felt like fire burning in his head, felt as though his head were going to explode at any moment. There was too much…too much of something running wildly through his brain. He felt only sharp, hot jolts of pain and wanted desperately to escape.

Rei turned to Mina, "I don't know what's happening…" she said and Mina saw the fear in her eyes. This was the first time Rei had shown any emotion toward a man that was more than mere amusement.

All of a sudden the pain in Jed's head began to recede and he opened his eyes with wonder. There was a thin sheen of sweat on his brow and his breathing was beginning to calm. "It's dulled," he said.

Rei let out a relieved sigh and removed her hands. "Thank the gods…" she whispered.

"Jadeite!" a voice boomed from outside.

>>>>>

All three of them turned toward the door. "What's happening?" Mina said startled.

Rei remained on her knees, her heart in her throat. "Oh no…"

Jed remained kneeling as well, his breathing still rough. "That voice…" he said softly, "That was the voice calling me…"

"Jadeite!" it came again.

Jed couldn't move; his limbs felt like stone. He turned to look at Rei who was beginning to close up on herself. He remembered just seconds before feeling her body warm and willing and eager to accept his own. Now she looked as though she would not dare think of kissing him again. What a shame too. It was such a beautiful kiss, the most exciting he had felt in a long time. He turned to look at the blonde girl and noticed her nervous hands twisting and untwisting her skirt.

"I'm coming in!" the voice cried out again. And before any of them could move, the door had been shoved open and a dark shadow stood at the threshold.

There was a sword in his right hand and a dagger in the other. He wore a dark, elegant black velvet cloak and high shiny black boots. His dark hair was tousled and even though Rei knew it was most likely dusty from dirt and grime, it shone glossy in the dim firelight. "Jadeite!" he cried, but this time it was happy and relieved. "I'm so glad I found you! Do you know how long I've been searching?" he said and rushed to his friend to pull him to his feet. He embraced him like a brother and then stood back to look at him.

Three more dark cloaked figures poured through the entrance next, all of them armed and ready for a fight. They kept their swords pointed directly at Rei and Mina. "What should we do with them?" the one with dark brown hair asked.

Rei stood and backed up next to Mina, then took her hand. "It's all right…" she whispered to her shivering companion.

The dark haired man did not answer. He was looking hard at Jed. "Jadeite?" he asked hesitantly.

Jed blinked and leaned over to look at the other three men who were holding their swords at the ready. He brushed passed the man and stepped in front of all three swords, his back to Rei and Mina. "You will not harm them, gentlemen," he said. He reached both hands out and made to block them from any attack.

"What is this?" the dark-haired man asked.

"It is exactly as it seems," Jed said, "You will not harm one hair on their heads."

"Step away, Jadeite," the silver-haired man said. He had an evil sort of grin on his face, as though he was looking forward to a kill.

"Nay."

"Step away! That is an order!" the dark-haired man said.

"Who are you to give me orders?" Jed replied.

The three men holding swords seemed to take in a breath all at once. And the dark-haired man's eyes narrowed. "What has come over you? I walk in here and you are on your knees, your brow sweaty, your eyes clouded, can you not see that these witches are doing something to you? Come, step away and I will give you a sword and let you kill them yourself."

Jed's own eyes narrowed at that. "These ladies shall not be harmed. They are innocent in all of this."

"Obey your prince!" the man with long blonde hair yelled.

Jed cocked his head to the side and stared daggers at the man who dared raise his voice. "I know no prince. I bow to no one," he said in response.

The dark-haired man stepped forward and all swords fell. "Jadeite…"

"Do not call me that! I understand that that is my name, but I will not accept it! I am Jed. Captain of ships. Farmer of pigs and goats. Servant to no one!"

"What say you?" the dark-haired man asked with a frown.

Jed merely backed up further and pressed the girls against a wall. He could feel Rei's hand resting lightly on his back, the palm open and cold. He wanted to turn around and wrap her in his arms, whisper that he would not let these strange soldiers lay a finger on her. "I say only what I know to be truth."

"But those are lies!" said the blonde-haired man, "Horrible, horrible lies. You are nothing of the sort! Farmer indeed!"

"He is right, Jadeite," said the dark-haired man. He stood at an even height with Jadeite. Their eyes were delving hard into each others. "You are Lord Warrior General Jadeite…"

"Honored and loyal servant to the Royal Prince Endymion…" said the brown-haired warrior.

"Second rank in the Prince's army," said the silver-haired.

"Noble Prince of the West…" the blonde-haired man said with a grin.

"Beloved brother and friend…" finished the dark-haired man. "Do you…not…remember?"

Jed raised a hand to his temple and began rubbing hard again. The strange tingling was still present. "I do not understand…"

Rei took a breath.

"Nay," Jed said looking back at her. She closed her mouth.

"I am Prince Endymion," the dark-haired man said. "Endy, if you will. This is Nephrite, Prince of the East," he said pointing to the brown-haired man. Nephrite bowed and then smiled, "Kunzite, Prince of the North," he said directing his attention to the silver-haired man who stood taller than any of them, "And lastly Zoicite, Prince of the South," he said indicating the last blond-haired man.

Jed sighed heavily and pointed to his temple, "Are you responsible for this?" he asked.

"If you are referring to the calling, then yes, I am."

Rei finally broke free from her prison behind Jed's back and stood in front of him, her face looking up into that of the Prince's. She took note that all three of the soldiers behind Endymion had raised their swords again. "My lord," she said and felt odd, "Your…friend…has no recollection of himself."

Endymion looked down at the beauty in front of him and allowed himself to smile for the second time in a week. She was a sight, this raven-haired girl with eyes brighter than the brightest violet. Her skin was pale, yet there was a blush of gold and pink just under the surface. Her lips were like pale pink roses and body was slim and very much curved in the right places underneath that poorly colored brown dress she wore. He wondered what she would look like bathed in silks of deepest purple or darkest red. "And who are you?"

Rei heard Mina's sharp intake of breath. "I am Jillian," she said without pause.

One of Endymion's eyebrows shot up. "Are you?" he said with a smile.

"Yes."

"And just what sort of relation do you claim to my general?"

She licked her lips nervously and Endymion watched that tongue like a hawk. "A while ago I found him on the beach just outside this cabin."

"He had been washed to shore?" asked the man called Nephrite. Rei turned to him and nodded. She took note that he was actually quite handsome. In fact all of them were very handsome men, including the prince. But their eyes were not as vibrant and alive as Jed's and their mouths did not give into smiles as readily.

"Like a beached whale?" Zoicite asked.

"Hush you insolent child," Kunzite said to him.

"He was badly injured. I nursed him back to health."

"Like a babe," Zoicite said.

"I'm warning you," Kunzite growled.

Rei continued, "When he woke the first time, he did not know anything but his name…Jed."

"But his name is Jadeite," Zoicite said.

"If you utter one more word…"

Rei rolled her eyes slightly, but Endymion and Jed both caught it.

She has a temper, Endymion thought.

Calm yourself, Reina, Jed wanted to whisper.

"So…is this true, Jadeite?" Endymion asked his general.

Jed merely nodded. "I suppose I am but a walking blank canvas. I can tell you that my name is Jed…I know how to skin a rabbit, I can throw a knife…I am a score and five…but not much can come after that."

Endymion frowned sharply. "This is very curious…I've never experienced memory loss before…perhaps Aslepius can see to you," he said.

Jed was wary. He pulled Rei behind him again then looked at Endymion. "I do not know if I can trust you," he said.

Endymion looked deep in Jed's eyes. He saw then the cloud that was resting just beyond the clear deep blue. The haze that he knew kept him from his mind. "You cannot…and you are right not to. I will camp outside your door, Mistress Jillian. I will not enter your threshold again. As for you, Jadeite…I will guard your life until your own is returned to you. In the morning you ride with me back to the Grand Palace where I will see to it that you are tended to and cared for."

But would he leave with this stranger? He knew he was telling the truth; knew without having to ask. He had said he didn't trust him because he did not want to give in easily. But when he looked into Endymion's eyes, stared hard into those slate blue eyes that held the answers to all the mysteries in the world, he knew he told the truth. He knew that Endymion knew his true identity. He would lay down his life if anyone disagreed. And he knew in the end that he would go with this man. The whirlwind of events was beginning to catch up to him and he wanted merely to stretch out near the fire and sleep away the day's events. He wanted to go back to staring up into violet eyes as his wounds were dressed and tended. He did not want to have voices in his head; he did not want an explanation for why blue fire spurted from his finger tips that day on the beach. But at the same time…he wanted answers. "I will not leave the woman who took me in," Jed said.

"Then she shall come as well…her mute friend too."

Mina shook her head and clung to Rei's hand. "We cannot!" she whispered.

"But you will," Endymion said. "You are on my soil, ladies…actually you are on Jadeite's soil if my sense of direction is correct. Therefore what is Jadeite's is mine and you will obey."

Rei bit her lip. She didn't know what had happened. In the space of one hour her life had been turned upside down. She had been kissed, her home had been broken into, and now the prince of Earth stood in front of her, commanding her and Mina to travel with him to his palace. What would the Queen Serenity think? She turned to look at Jadeite and frowned, there was such confusion and pain laced in those blue eyes of his.

"I do not trust you any more than I did when you first entered this cottage," Jed said to Endymion, though his mind had been made up. "I will not go willingly nor will I ignore your request," as the words came out of his mouth, an image of two young boys playing in the dungeon came to his vision. An older man came and scooped them from the stone cells and he could hear him yelling "Do not ever go in there again! Do you understand me Endy? Jed?" Jed didn't know what it meant and so he stored it in the back of his mind.

Endymion nodded and motioned his men to follow him out. "I do not know what to do," Endymion said when they were outside. He signaled for the remaining soldiers to set up camp and then turned in the circle of his generals, one side missing. "I have never seen this happen before," he said sadly. He looked weathered and beaten and his generals felt the burden of guilt and pain that Endymion was feeling. "I feel like I should have looked out for him better when he said he was journeying away. Why did I ever break the bond with him?"

"Because he asked you to," Nephrite said. "He asked that you allow him to travel for five days without the pull of your mind connected to his. It is not your fault. You cannot help the weather. You cannot help the route of his ship and nor can you change time."

Endymion pressed his hand to his head and frowned. "To think that I have found my general…only to realize that he has not found himself…"

>>>>>

Jed turned to look at Rei and Mina the minute Endymion left. "This is all so strange," he said.

"I know," Rei replied. She felt the strangeness flowing through her own body. She had been commanded to travel to the Grand Palace with none other than the Prince Endymion himself. This was certainly not the way to keep herself hidden from whoever was after her. What if she went to this palace and the assassin that had been sent after her found her and tried to kill her? This was not right, she could not go.

"I am glad you will come with me," Jadeite said then. Rei felt her heart drop. "I do not think I could attend a strange land without my nurse," he said with a grin.

Rei forced a grin and then sat down on a bench with Mina.

"We will be killed. If not at court, then by Serenity," Mina said. "What is happening?"

Rei shook her head numbly and jumped, startled, when Jed rested his hand on her shoulder. "I will protect you," Jed said.

Rei felt the frustration deep in her bones. How would he protect her when he was going with this stranger to discover who he was himself? Everything was happening too quickly and she had no power to stop it. As she turned to look out the window, she could swear she saw Mars and Venus blink a warning at her.

>>>>>

NOTE  
None of the senshi have met the generals which is why there might be some confusion as to why Endymion is paying so much attention to Rei. Rest assured that he is not "cheating" on Serenity, but rather does not know about the princess. So, he is a young man on the prowl and any pretty female in his path had better watch out. Same goes for the other three generals. REVIEW!


	6. Chapter 5

Ok, again, sorry for the late arrival. I will sincerely try to get the next chapter out to you all as soon as I can. I hope you enjoy this one. It's not as exciting as I would have liked it to bed, but I'm still considering some ideas of mine and so, consider this a neutral chapter that just allows all of us to see more into the characters themselves. Please read and review and enjoy!

Lady Hino

>>>>>

The next morning, Rei woke up in a daze. For a minute she lay awake, staring at the dying embers in the fireplace. She had not slept by the fireplace since she was on Mars and her mother had come in and wrapped a blanket around her shoulders. At first she thought she was still on mars, the warmth she felt could only be from the roaring fire that flew high in the shrine. If she concentrated hard enough, she could hear the daily activity of her Martian subjects, the cheerful greetings they gave one another as they began their daily chores, the creaking of wagon wheels, and she could smell the morning fires with meat roasting over them. But after the minute of pure blissful memory had past, she was harshly thrown back into the reality that awaited her.

She sat up slowly, groggily and looked about the room. It still looked like the same cottage, with its bare furnishings and clean windows that let in so much sunlight, Rei always had to shield her eyes when she came into the room. But today it looked different. The light was still as bright as yesterday and the birds still chirped wildly outside the windows, but everything seemed different. She didn't feel as safe as she did just twelve hours before when all her problems focused on whether or not she could help Jed restore his memory. Now it seemed like she had to worry about whether or not she was going to be found out and killed in just a few hours.

Heaving a slightly tortured sigh, she turned and looked toward the door and a smile tugged at her lips for Jed was leaning against it with a large stick clutched loosely in his hands. She felt the smile spread over her lips as she watched his chest rise and fall gently with his breathing. She closed her eyes and smiled brightly as she recalled how she had made it possible for that chest to rise and fall in the first place. She remembered his injured body lying helplessly in her bed and felt an overwhelming urge to slip down beside him and rest his lolling head on her shoulder.

Just as she began to stand from her position on the floor, there was a banging on the door. She jumped up and pressed her back against the wall, the ladle from the pot clutched in her hand as if she was clutching a sword. Her legs were spread in a wide stance and her hand braced out in front her as though she were going to strike down the foe before her with a stunning spell. It was this vision of heroic angel that Jed jerked awake to.

His knuckles were white on the stick he held in his hands and though his eyes initially flashed worry, they softened slightly when he saw how bravely the fiery goddess was standing, ready to fight.

Rei knew in that instant that he had been trained as a fighter. He was alert and ready at any moment; those were not groggy eyes staring at her. She allowed herself another brief smile then found herself frowning; did this prince Endymion teach him out to be the ready fighter he seemed to be?

"I cannot believe I fell asleep," Jed said to her as he pressed his back against the door. He winked at her then turned his head to the side and spoke through the door. "What is it that is so urgent you must wake my lady from her slumber?"

Rei blinked at him and Jed turned to smile at her. She looked utterly confused by his choice of words and looked delectably like a cat ready to pounce on her prey…more like a tigress. "Who goes?" Jed called, his eyes never leaving her face.

"Let me in your dolt! We've been standing out here for hours! It gets mighty cold out here when the sun goes down!"

"Oh come now, Zoicite, you slept under a horde of blankets all shoved up against Kunzite's back and my own," Nephrite said with a chuckle, "sort of reminded me of an innocent babe, though we all know that to be a falsehood."

Jed smiled and opened the door, "Zoicite always was dramatic," he said loudly. He paused, as did every other person within hearing distance.

"How would you know I'm dramatic?" Zoicite asked.

"I…"

"Jadeite?" Endymion said from behind Zoicite.

"I am…not certain. It is just that…"

Rei cocked her head to the side and looked at his back, her mind running crazily. Was he remembering? Would he forget her? And if he did, why did that matter so much?

"It was but a flash of something, but I cannot grasp hold of it again," he said turning to look at Rei. She almost gasped aloud for it seemed that his eyes were telling saying to her, "Of course I would not forget you."

Jed then turned back to the four expectant men at the door. "I suppose I am still to entrust my life with the lot of you," he said as a way to change the subject. He crossed his arms over his chest. "I want to remind you all to mind my lady Rei and mistress Mina. There is no way that these two women will be harmed. If all of you are truly friends of mine, then you shall all honor this request."

"So you've said," muttered Zoicite.

"And so your request shall be honored," Endymion said turning to look hard at the blonde general behind him. "Are you all ready to leave? We should begin the journey."

Jed looked to Rei for an answer and saw her eyes focus on his. He could just imagine what was running through her mind at this very moment. Doubts, wonder, curiosity, anger, but never fear. She would never show any fear to any enemy or stranger. "Give the lady time to freshen herself and pack what she needs," he said for her.

Endymion nodded and pulled his generals from the door. "Leave them be," he said gently and closed the door.

"What has happened to him?" Nephrite said to himself, his fingers pressed to his temples. "I cannot imagine if that had happened to me, what I would do…or think…"

"Strange how his memory has completely faded," Kunzite said spinning the tip of his sword in the sand, "What caused such nonsense?"

"The ship that that woman was talking about?" Zoicite asked.

"A fall to the head? I've never heard of anyone completely losing all memories," Kunzite said shaking his head, "What exactly can be done? We are short one general from our army, one general to protect our prince and thousands of soldiers who will only follow him."

"Is that all you care about? War?" Nephrite said, "We are missing a brother! His mind is not on the same level as our own. We are far from helping him."

"What was he doing on the ship in the first place? Where was he bound for?" Zoicite said.

"Probably some damn crusade for peace and light. Escape from the demands of his father's court," Kunzite replied sarcastically.

"Jadeite does not search for escapes," Nephrite interrupted.

"He does when he is being hounded by warlords."

"I do not hound him, I merely train."

"Train the poor man to the bone!"

"He needs it!"

"His wife just died along with his child! Give him mourning time!"

"It has been a year! He needs to move on!"

"You are heartless."

"Enough!" shouted Endymion. "Jadeite is our brother. We will not speak of him in anger when his mind is in the shadows. We shall help him overcome this; that is all you need concern yourselves with. Nothing more. I must speak with my wizards when we reach the palace. I cannot lose him to this mind eating magic."

The other three generals looked down sheepishly. They all knew Endymion was right. They all knew that they were acting irrationally, but it seemed that they couldn't help themselves.

"My apologies, my prince. I fear we are all greatly troubled by this unexpected turn of events," Kunzite replied on behalf of them all. "I never expected to find him like this."

"Nor did I, Kunzite," Endymion said rubbing his forehead. He looked beyond stress as though his hope for the future was grim. "I had hoped to find him in excellent health and with a frown on his face for being left alone for so long…I never expected to find a stranger in place of a brother…"

>>>>>

Jed sat on a bench near the door, his elbows resting on his spread knees and his head hanging down. To Rei he looked like a defeated man who she would try desperately to save. To Mina, he looked like a broken man who could not be fixed. "Give it up, Rei…" Mina whispered to her. "We have to let him go, we need to keep up appearances. How would it look if we went to this Earth Prince's home and…and lived? Queen Serenity will throw a fit!"

Rei turned to her friend and looked at her sparkling eyes. For a minute she thought of the truth of Mina's words, of the need to keep secret and hidden. She wanted to stay in the little cottage, away from prying eyes, away from the strange assassination attempts and away from the stress that being a senshi called for. But try as she might, those reasons were not valid enough for her. If she stayed, she would be abandoning the man who had put his life in her hands only days before this. It was not possible for her to ignore the pull he had on her; she wanted to be there when he opened his eyes and saw the world for what it was. She wanted to be there to help him through the nightmares that she knew would be sure to come.

"There is no hope for it…I will go. If you choose to stay here, alone, then so be it. But I will not leave this man alone. There is too much of that in the universe," Rei said with finality. And Mina knew that when she saw that hard look in Rei's eyes, there was no chance of changing her mind. The most hard-headed of all the senshi was standing before her, daring her to challenge her word and Mina, though she was the captain of the senshi, would not tempt to anger the fire goddess.

"Then I have no hope but to go with you…willingly," Mina replied and stepped to the door. "I'm going to go to my own small cottage and gather up what I need for this unexpected journey," she said and she gave Rei one last pleading look before turning to open the door.

"Bring Kunzite," Jadeite suddenly said and both Rei and Mina started at his words. Had he been listening to them the whole time they spoke?

"Why should I bring one of those awful generals?" Mina asked cautiously.

"He is the most trustworthy of them all," Jadeite said lifting his head and bestowing upon Mina a smile that would have lit up any dark corner. "Why, once—when I was but ten and four and he merely ten and five---he led the way through this forest that we had gotten lost in!" he said with eager eyes.

Rei cocked her head and stared at him. His eyes were bright and misted; as if he were not the same person he had been but seconds before. She felt herself sink inward and pull away from those shining eyes. "You…remember?" she asked hesitantly.

Jed turned to look at her with those over bright eyes and blinked, and then the memory was gone, almost as quickly as it had come, and the eyes were once again a startling blue. "I'm sorry…" he said, his brow crinkling, "Remember…no, I don't recall…" he said. His eyes were sullen. "My brain works in a very particular way. I can see the image, but it does not last," he said gently.

Mina frowned and began to move outside.

"Wait…" Jed said turning to her.

"What is it?"

"Take Kunzite…" he repeated.

Mina stopped herself from rolling her eyes. "There is no reason for me to bring a man with me to my cottage. I am perfectly safe on my own," she said, "And besides, I thought you didn't remember who any of them were."

Jed shook his head and stood, "I do not remember being lost in any forest or being in the care of that man, though the words may have come out of my mouth as though I did…All I know is that my instincts say that he is perfectly responsible and trustworthy. He will guard you, though you claim you need no one."

Mina narrowed her eyes slightly and looked to Rei.

Rei merely shrugged her shoulders and went back to gathering the little trinkets she had brought from Mars. "Perhaps, this one time," she began, "you should take heed of Jed's word."

Mina angrily stormed from the cottage, a chilling call of, "Someone named Kunzite is supposed to hack his way through the forest before me," echoed through the doorway as Jed stood up to close it.

"She is terribly put out with me," Jed said softly.

Rei turned to glance at him and saw the expression on his face. It was not concern for his reputation, but infectious glee that shone on his face. "It isn't nice of you to say such things," Rei pointed out to him, "No gentleman would do such."

"How do you know I'm a gentleman?" he asked, leaning his shoulder against the door and crossing his arms over his chest. "Perhaps I'm merely the same sea-faring captain with terrible manners as before."

"That, sir is impossible," Rei said as she tied the makeshift bag with a string.

"Why is that?"

She looked up at him and Jed found himself catching his breath for the thousandth time that day. The beauty that shown through her was so breathtaking and alarming that he could never look at her without being awed. He wanted to grab her in his arms and whisk her away to some unknown island where he could strip her of her clothing and burn them so that he could watch her roam about in nothing but the air that twirled in and out of her raven tresses. "There is a simply answered question," she said.

Jed stared into her violet eyes, mystified by the way they twinkled with mirth and yet she still managed to look like a mother explaining to her child why the birds sang. "There is a prince outside waiting to escort you to a palace. There are three princes out there who claim you are the forth. Your titles are overwhelming to the ear and you present yourself in a way I have only seen princes do. How can you believe you are anything but a gentleman?"

"You have seen princes before?" Jed asked, his mind obviously stuck on what she had said on a whim.

She turned away briefly and was annoyed to find herself blushing, "From a distance," she said quietly and Jed did not believe her for an instant.

"Go upstairs and pack the rest of your belongings," he said, giving her an escape. "I shall rummage through that trunk and see if there is anything worth taking."

She fled with as much grace as she could, her shoulders high as she climbed the ladder to the top of the loft. "Be careful, Rei…" she whispered to herself, "Soon he will find you out and you'd rather he discover your lies later in this game than sooner…"

>>>>>

"Deceiving little wench!" Kunzite said as he saddled his horse.

"What was that?" Endymion asked as he passed by his soldier.

"Nothing, your highness," Kunzite grumbled, tightening the straps.

"Calm down, Kun, or you'll suffocate your horse," Endymion said with a smile.

Kunzite turned to look at his long-time friend, a frown creasing his brow.

"What troubles you?" Endymion asked thoughtfully.

"It's that blonde-haired witch!" Kunzite said with passion.

Endymion hid a laugh and turned to look at the lovely blonde girl who was currently standing on the first step of the cottage tapping her toe impatiently. The raven-haired beauty was leaning casually against the wall, her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes trained on the ground in front of her, as if she were meditating while standing. "Why would you say a thing like that?" Endymion asked turning back to the silvery blonde-haired general who was not clenching his jaw as he looked up at the girls. "All I see is a lovely fair-haired woman with stunning blue eyes, similar to our friend Jadeite."

The frown deepened on his brow, "She is a hell cat," he said.

Endymion shook his head, "I fail to see it."

"I walked up to that terrible excuse for a cottage on the top of that cliff so that she could gather up some of her possessions, but that little wench slipped out the back door and ran into the woods before I could even blink. And when I finally realized she had escaped and was running back to her friend, I caught her by the hair and dragged her back down the cliff," he said with menace. It wasn't entirely true. She had slipped out the back door and she had been running away to find her friend, but he had not dragged her down for there was no way in the world the blonde Minette would have let him drag her by her hair. Instead, she had pulled out the knife she was hiding in the small parcel she had gripped in her left hand and slashed his forearm. He had merely decided to drag her down by holding onto the precious parcel she carried.

Endymion smiled at the end of the story for he saw the lie in his friend's eyes. "You lie terribly," Endymion said and moved slowly toward his horse. "Tell one of the boys to saddle Shadow…maybe that will help our friend remember where he came from."

Jed turned to look at Rei as he dropped a bundle of clothing onto the ground, "Do not look so defeated," he whispered.

Rei lifted her head and raised an elegant eyebrow, "I am not defeated."

"Then why do you look so downtrodden?"

"That is hardly how I would describe Rei's appearance," Mina said while still tapping her foot impatiently. "She's merely deep in thought. Isn't that Kunzite a dreadful character of a man?"

Rei looked in the direction of the man with flowing silver hair and cocked her head to the side, "I wouldn't know," she said faintly.

Jed wet his lips then put a hand on Rei's shoulder. "The journey is long," he said.

"I shall be perfectly fine," Rei said as she pushed off of the wall and strode down the walkway to examine the amazingly beautiful horse that had been tethered to a tree near the steps. She stood away from it, uncertain if she were allowed to touch it or not.

"His name is Shadow," a voice said from behind her.

Rei spun around to see the Prince standing there, with his hands clasped regally behind his back and a black cloak slung over his shoulders. The left side had been whipped back to show off the red velvet lining. "He's lovely," she said.

Endymion walked up to the dark stallion and stroked a hand down his neck. "He is normally very temperamental around strangers," he said.

Rei examined the animal. He was a lovely black stallion, sleek with muscle. His mane and tail were of the darkest midnight black and his eyes were intelligent as they studied her. "All black is very intimidating," she said more to the stallion than Endymion.

"He is nothing of the sort," said Jadeite as he walked toward them.

Endymion looked to him with excitement.

"Do not get excited just yet," Jadeite said, "I only say that because when I look at him and him at me, there is no skittishness in him and he does not sense danger. It is not hard to read the animal. And, Rei, his back left foot is pure white."

Rei turned to look and smiled. "So it is…"

"Whose steed is he? Whoever his owner is, he has done a fine job of raising his beast. He is calm and steady, but there is a need for adventure lurking behind those chestnut eyes of his," Jadeite said as he stroked the nose of the stallion. Shadow whinnied in appreciation.

"He is yours," Endymion said with a smile. "I brought him for deep in my mind, I knew I would find you and I knew you would want your mount back."

Jed stared in disbelief at the large creature bumping his head against his shoulder. "Amazing…"

Endymion laughed and moved away, but not before he winked at the lovely violet-eyed girl who was staring in astonishment at the blonde general.

>>>>>

"This is surely the most ridiculous, dangerous, idiotic thing I have ever done," Rei said to herself as they rode away from the cottage. She was mounted in front of Jed as Endymion had not anticipated more riders coming with him. She sat with her back ramrod straight and away from Jed's body. There was no way she would allow herself to lean back and get comfortable for it was only when she mounted the horse that she realized how fool-hardy the idea was to travel with him. "I will most definitely be killed for this…I will probably live the rest of my days in solitude for my stupidity," she whispered.

"What is it that you are mumbling up there?" Jed's voice came from behind her. She winced and he knew that he was not supposed to have overheard what she was saying. To make her feel more at ease, he subtly tightened his grip on the reins of the horse, thereby squeezing her tighter between his arms. "Do not think yourself foolish," he whispered into her ear. Rei could feel his breath, warm and gentle, stirring the hairs on her neck. "If anyone is foolish, it is me," he said.

She turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Why would you say that?" she asked with one elegant brow crooked up.

Jed suppressed the urge to kiss away the frown that was gathering between her brows and instead smiled slowly at her. "Who is it that has no brain in his head? And is riding with practical strangers who insist on repeating that this man with no mind is a prince with a far more intelligent soul than the one I possess?" he asked with a chuckle.

Rei allowed herself to smile patiently at him, "You will retain your memories…just you see," she said. She allowed herself to relax slightly at the look he gave her; it made her feel as though she were the only thing grounding him to this planet. She felt as though without her, he would plummet and be unable to pick himself up.

She turned her head to stare gently at her blonde friend who was currently arguing whole-heartedly with the silvery-haired prince sitting behind her. The air of authority rang true in both of them, the aura about them screamed with frustrated annoyance and yet there was also a softening that Rei could sense. Being a Martian princess and priestess taught her much in the way of reading the minds and feelings of those around her, though the blonde man who rode so skillfully behind her was not so easily read, his mind was a blank canvas that she was to set her paints to. How unlike the people of her home…she thought back to the nights when she and Mina would run wildly in the snow-white forests of the Moon and seek out game to practice against, Ami yelling at them to return from her tower room and Serenity snoring fitfully in her own. Makoto would always smile and shake her head when she learned that they were romping around in the forest, but never would she say a thing. At times like those, Rei felt the most at home…and the strange dark green forests that she was now traveling in made her feel like an intruder in a warm nest of family.

Weariness settled into her bones then, a sharp and painful reminder of the restless night she had just spent near the hearth of the small cottage she could not call her own. With a sigh she absentmindedly rested further back into the saddle, her lashes drifting slowly toward her cheeks as the steady trot of the great black stallion beneath her continued on his path. She felt a heavy warmth envelope her just as her eyes shut and her head lolled to the side.

Jed tightened his grip on the reins with one hand and wrapped his heavy black velvet cloak around her shoulders before her eyes completely closed and before he felt the strain dissipate from her limbs. He smiled gently to himself and prodded Shadow into a faster cant, urging Endymion to move faster. "I was told by that insolent general, with hair worthy enough of a woman, that we are to reach an inn before nightfall, correct?" Jed asked in a slightly arrogant voice.

Endymion looked down at the sleeping dark-haired angel riding in Jed's arms and felt a moment's worth of jealousy. Would that he had a woman to snuggle against his side and warm his bed, especially one of such alluring dark beauty as this mysterious creature in Jed's arms. "Yes," he said after clearing his throat. This stern voice that Jadeite used sounded much like his old self and made Endymion wonder: if he could merely keep Jadeite in this same demeanor, perhaps he would revert back to his former self before they reached the palace. "I have secured the area in case of attack. I have sent men ahead and posted them at several different intervals to ensure that we are not being followed."

"I hope they are also prepared for an attack should they find someone waiting for us?" Jadeite said, and there was a gleam in his eye that Endymion knew too well. The look of a soldier ready for battle. His heard lightened. "Of course!" he said so enthusiastically that Nephrite turned his head to look at them and Zoicite frowned in their direction. Even Kunzite stopped bickering with the infuriating beauty to look toward his prince.

Jadeite merely nodded his head and turned to look behind him. "Be on your guard, men," he said in the same authoritatively stern tone he had used before. "If you see anything suspicious, alert everyone at once," and with that he rode toward the front of the group, his arms still protectively around Rei.

Zoicite rode up beside Endymion and then nodded toward the stiff back of Jadeite. "Well?" he asked.

Endymion smiled sadly and then turned to look at the other generals staring curiously at him. "It was as though Jadeite never disappeared. I wish we could keep him here."

But it was not to be, for by the time they had reached the inn that night, Jed was looking at Endymion with the same wary uncertainty that he had seemed to do since they first encountered each other in the cottage. "Rei…" he whispered softly as they came to a halt before a large gray building with a row of mounted horses lined up before it. "Wake up, angel…we are at the inn," he said.

Rei awoke with a start, her dreams of a laughing group of girls sitting on a sandy hill and over looking the quaint villages of the Martian kingdom fading rapidly. "So we are…" she said sleepily.

Jed unconsciously rubbed a hand up and down her arm and the shivers of delight that spread through her made her stiffen and straighten away from him in the saddle. "I apologize," Jed said as he dismounted. He held up his hands and grasped her by the waist to help her down; his hands lingering longer than a gentleman's should have when her feet landed on the ground.

Endymion swept past them and up the steps, turning when he reached the door, "I have made sure that this inn was prepared for our arrival. Come, there is no time to waste. It is still a few days journey to Earth's kingdom," he said with a slight grin.

Jed took Rei by the elbow and escorted her inside and Rei—as well as Jed—was astonished by the way the inn looked. Though quite shabby and plain on the outside, Endymion had spared no expense in making sure that the interior was glittering with the reds, blacks and greens of the Prince's signature symbol. Hundreds of vases of brilliant red roses were spread around the inn with red silks and black velvets draped gracefully over tables and candles glistening with warmth. "I had to come up with quite a spell in order to get all of this set up before we arrived. I hope we shall all sleep well here," Endymion said gesturing toward the stairs. "There are four rooms upstairs. Jadeite, you shall take one, Minette and Reina shall take another, I shall take the one on the end, and Kunzite and Nephrite and Zoicite shall take the last."

"Is that fair?" Jed as hesitantly, "That is to say…I would not want to put any of you out…"

"Nonsense," Endymion began, "Nephrite, Kunzite, and Zoicite are on a rotating watch and there will never be more than two asleep at a time. You are not to worry."

"Though in all essence, it _is_ unfair," Zoicite muttered from behind Jed.

Jed turned and glared at the offensive general then turned back to Endymion, "I would gladly take on a watch, sir…"

"Your majesty," Zoicite corrected.

"It is perfectly fine," Endymion assured even as he shook his head, "Do not worry about such things. I do not expect you to keep a watch like the others. You are to rest and regain your memory, which is your most important task."

Jed nodded and turned to look about him again. There was a black piano standing in the back of the large receiving room and on top of it a vase of pristine white roses. "Sir…your majesty," Jed said.

"Jadeite?" Endymion smiled.

"I wonder why there is a vase of white roses amidst ruby red," Jed replied without thought. The other three generals seemed to hold their breath and the entire room became still.

Endymion's smile wavered slightly, but only a trained eye would have noticed. "They are not white," he said with a slight misty quality laced in his words, "They are the palest of silvers. Rare beauties, are they not?"

"I prefer cherry blossoms," Jed said.

The room's breath caught. "Why is that?" Endymion asked amused.

Jed turned to him and the look in his eyes made Rei frown in thought. "They are rare beauties, your majesty. Blooming once a year in the spring, a vibrant pale pink to suggest to their innocent nature. Delicate, yet strong and courageous. Gentle as they land on in your hand, but so alluring that it makes your heart constrict. With the slightest breeze they fall from their safe haven, but once free, they enclose you in their embrace like a tight fist with a breath of warmth and sweet smelling nectar drifting to your senses. When the last falls, I am content, for I know that this strange and captivating beauty is the personification of spring, the essence of truth and vitality, and I am merely waiting for the next year when I can see it sprout again."

Endymion stared at his general with a strange smile before her continued. "The pale silver rose reminds me of a reoccurring dream I have of a silvery world and a watery smile. Silver amongst red reminds me of two worlds colliding to balance one another. I have the silver roses delivered to me from all over the Earth. The place where they are most abundant seems to be in a garden surrounded by cherry blossom trees. And in the spring, when the night arrives and the moon glistens on the deep green leaves of the silver rose bush, the cherry blossoms loosen and the drift across the gardens, the magnolias shift in the breeze, the sunflowers dance and twirl with the pink blooms, and the iris stands steadily…that is when the silver rose blossoms."

Jed smiled at the image. "A lovely picture," he said gently.

Rei frowned again and looked back at the vase of roses.

"Where is this garden? I should like to see it," Jed said.

"It is at your palace, Prince Jadeite," Endymion said and he walked up the stairs ahead of them.

Rei turned to look at Jadeite and in her violet eyes, Jed saw the cherry blossoms he had so poetically described drift lazily. "Shall we?" he asked as he glided her toward the stairs.

>>>>>

Her fingers danced across the ivory and black keys, skipping and gliding like trained dancers in a ballet. She could hear the melody as though it were her own voice. She could see the air vibrate as she struck first one key and then another, and another and another, her fingers nimble and quick. She could feel the tune echo in her mind, twirling and waltzing amidst wafting cherry blossom petals.

She awoke with a blaze, the melody hitting a fevered pitch in her mind. Her eyes scanned the dimly lit bedroom of the inn, the dark walls covered with white linen and the large bed floating in the same. She sat up, rubbing her arms slowly as the chill breeze swept into the room. She turned to look down at her sleeping friend, a lone note still ringing in her ears.

As gently as she could, she rose from the bed and padded barefoot to the open window. She gazed out at the night, the sweet song flowing like fire through her veins. She had not craved the lulling effects of the piano since she had been at home, but the sight of the shining black piano forte that sat uselessly in the receiving room with keys that were dying to be touched made her entire body quiver with emotion. She wanted to be home, she wanted to play, she wanted to…she wanted…

She turned her head in the direction of the door, the strange melancholy melody slowly reaching her ears. Had she dreamed it, or was it real? She swept her mane of dark hair over her shoulder and made her way to the door, her ears alert to, not only the music, but also the soft snores issuing from the large bed. She opened the door and pressed her forehead to the frame, listening with all her might to the sad tune that cried from the fingers of the player. She could feel her heart tighten in her chest, she could feel the heat of the song whispering in her soul and she could feel the hands on the keys lazily playing on her skin.

There was a tear in her eye when she moved back to the bed. The song had been full of heartache and loneliness; of great pain and yet, there was an underlining of a love possibly found. There was a poignant moment in the dangerously heartbreaking breaking song that made her spirit lighten and her eyes glaze over with delight. It made her itch to play, it made her fingers twitch in anticipation. She wanted desperately to reach out and touch the hands of the artist who played and she wanted desperately to give him what he had unintentionally given her.

>>>>>

For two more days they continued as they had, the party making a slow, yet steady journey through the deep green woods and into the heart of the island that was known to be the homeland of the infamous Earth palace. For two days Kunzite and Mina bickered back and forth. For two days Jed and Rei sat in silence on Shadow, their hands always a breath from each others yet never touching. For two nights a black piano appeared in the receiving room of each inn, but on the first of those nights there was not only a vase of silver roses glistening on top of the instrument, but also a vase of cherry blossom branches sitting in the window behind it. And for two nights more Rei went to sleep with a tear in her eye and a tightness in her chest for the mysterious piano player continued to play his sad song. She would awaken at the first sound of the piano key, the note soaking into her dream until she opened her eyes to watch the shadows dance in time with the slow and mystifying melody. She would not seek the comfort of sleep until the last note rang true and even then her dreams were full of sweet smelling cherry blossoms and mysteriously sad music twining through her senses.


	7. Chapter 6

I hope you forgive me for the late arrival of this chapter…and I hope you like it! I think it's a turning point. I'll try to get the next chapter out faster. Some people are asking me to do a story featuring other characters…and I've been considering it. I originally wanted to do an FBI thriller or some other sort of modern day story featuring Rei and Jed, but I'm taking suggestions if any of you think I should write another historical romance or any other sort of genre on some other Senshi/General pairings.

In any case…read this chapter and let me know what you think. Enjoy it! READ AND REVIEW!

Lady Hino

----

The palace loomed before her. It was massive; the towers soared toward the sky, the walls wrapped around and around the structure like the great arms of a mother enfolding her child. There were guards everywhere, women and children walking in every direction. It was grand. It was large. It was stone and mortar. It was a place ready for war at the drop of a hat.

Not at all like the Moon Kingdom.

Not at all like Mars, like home.

"Are you well?" she heard a voice ask from beside her. She turned toward it and smiled hesitantly. His eyes were hazy, there were strain marks around his mouth and his shoulders were stiff with tension.

"I am well," she managed to say. She wished she didn't want to smooth back the blond curls that were falling into his eyes. She wished she didn't desperately desire for him to take her hand in his and hold it as she entered those immense gates, and she dearly wanted it to be true that she didn't wish to be at home at the very moment, looking out over her own land with the sun casting a red glow over the terrain. "This is a large palace," she whispered.

The dark head in front of her turned around. "This palace has been in my family for thousands of years. I have had many modernizations done to it, but for the thousands of years it has been in my family, many many alterations have been made."

Rei blinked at the dark-haired man and cocked her head to the side, "It's a wonder a place like this is still standing then. What with all the additions and pokes and prods you make to it, I'm surprised the structure hasn't fallen down around your ears."

"Rei!" she heard Mina whisper harshly.

Endymion didn't seem to hear. "Of course it is more of a miracle, don't you think? A wonderful act of the Gods," he said to her with a grin. As he turned around in his saddle, Rei rolled her eyes skyward and sent up a silent prayer for patience in this new setting.

From behind her she could feel the presence of the man who had appeared on her beach. She wondered how he was taking all of this in, wondered how he felt when he looked up at a palace that he was supposed to recognize as a place he stayed in frequently.

She turned back and looked at the palace, this was her prison now. With her assassin still looming around in one direction or another, she was forced into hiding…The cottage afford little protection. A prince and his generals found her! Now she was to spend her days ensconced in a palace that was meant for war, a palace that was designed for five warriors and the queen mother to live in at one time. A palace with stone walls and small windows. She took a deep, cleansing breath and urged the mare beneath her forward. She would either die from the disappointment that Queen Serenity had for her, or she would go completely insane while living in these stone walls with no ocean to sooth her troubled spirits.

----

"This is to be your room," the tall, lanky attendant said to her as she made her way past him. "I hope it is to your liking. If it is not, I'm sure His Highness will have no problems finding you a suitable housing."

Rei turned back to him and shook her head, then looked back at what lay before her. It was cold in this room, the walls were gray with the bricks that made up the walls. There were large tapestries hanging from the walls, full of flowers and blossoms of the purest white. The bed was canopied, with white silks hanging down like liquid snow from the points of the four posters. The white linens were pristine, the rugs a pure and untouched white, a chandelier of frosted crystals hung in the center of the room; large and glimmering from the sun shining through the windows.

Rei turned toward the fireplace—just as the bedroom door closed, announcing the departure of the attendant—and noticed that it was sculpted of fine white marble, roses climbing on either side of the opening, the smooth yellow and orange flames in the grate fluttering gently. Two wing backed chairs sat at an angle with a white marble table between them. They too were white. "White…" she whispered to herself as she walked around the room, "White…colorless…pure…virginal."

She shook her head on a laugh and made her way toward the large glass windows that looked out over the back gardens. She looked beyond them, at the forest in the distance and finally toward the ocean that was merely a dark blue haze. She sighed and turned back to look at the room.

She cocked her head to the side when she saw the piano. It was white, of course, with a vase of blood red roses on the top. She furrowed her brow and shook her head slightly. She could have sworn there was no piano when she looked at the corner holding the small writing desk. She looked back toward the window and then back to the piano which had not changed positions.

With a quick look over her shoulder, she walked over to the instrument and ran her fingers across the keys, her heart singing the tune even though her fingers would dare not play it. She closed her eyes and images of cherry blossoms fluttered about her; flames engulfed her and stroked her face with their tendrils.

The knock at the door jostled her out of her reverie. "Yes," she called out as she stepped away from the instrument.

The door creaked and a familiar blonde head poked through the opening. "Good evening," he said as he moved to step inside the room. She watched him glance around momentarily before he grinned, "How…pristine," he said.

Rei smiled despite herself and moved toward him. "Where have they put you?"

"In some room dressed with blues and silvers and they would have me dress in a gray uniform when I go down to dinner," he looked uncomfortable as he watched her, "I merely wanted to assure myself that you are well. This is not too much of an inconvenience to you?"

Rei blinked at him and then slowly shook her head. "No," she said simply.

Jed nodded and moved toward the piano. He ran his fingers over the keys just as she had done earlier and then turned back to look at her. "I'm glad," he finally said.

Rei cocked her head to the side and studied him. He seemed awkward, tired and confused all at the same time. She wondered how he was reacting to this new life he had been thrown into; this life that he was supposed to live as though he had never left it. "Are you well, Jed?" she asked hesitantly.

Jed sighed and looked down at his feet. "I'm not certain," he said.

"Why is that?"

Jed looked toward the white arm chairs and motioned for her to take a seat before he took his. When she declined, he merely sat on the small bench that had been pulled from under the piano keys. He twisted slightly so that his hands grazed the keys and he gently pressed down. The sweet note hung in the air between them for a moment before Rei finally moved toward one of the white chairs and leaned against the arm. She smiled slightly when Jed finally brought his other hand up to the keys and fully turned to play a soft melody. It filled the large room with warmth, soothed her with the long notes and sweet chords.

"I feel out of place," he said as he moved his hands across the black and white ivory.

Rei turned toward him and blinked at the back of his head. "Why is that?"

The tune began to gain in volume, the speed still slow and mellow, but the notes wild and discordant. "They want me to be someone…someone I don't know how to be," he replied, his fingers slipping up and down the keys, "They are giving me a pair of shoes and telling me to step into them and take on the role of this lost soul I have not found."

She stood up and took several steps toward the man who rocked subtly to the music. "But when I try to escape into the world they would have me live in…there is nothing there…"

The music began to race, his fingers gliding quickly back and forth, "I sat in that room today and wondered who Jadeite was. I lay in the bed in the inn the night just past and I closed my eyes for hours, trying to shovel the blackness away to reveal the light. I wrestled my dreams of a costal shore and a small cottage; tried to find this palace, and a prince-dom."

Rei stood behind him and looked down while he played his piece. It was mournful, as though he had lost something very dear to him. The notes were rapid, without beat, and achingly sad. Her heart started to race as his music increased its tempo. She was as connected to the music as he was, she watched the rise and fall of his chest in time with the music and blinked back a sudden sting of tears.

Before she had time to place her hand on his shoulder, he had slammed his hands on the keys and stood up; two fingers pressing tightly against his temple. "Oh, Rei…" he groaned, "I will not be at peace here."

She took a deep breath and willed him to face her. When he did she noticed the harshness of his breathing, the strain in his stance and she merely leaned toward him.

He grasped her without a word, shoved his hands into her hair and took her lips with a savageness that neither expected. He was rough with his desire; he forced her chin down and plunged his tongue into her sweetness, then groaned when she went limp in his arms. He needed her; needed her more than he thought he would ever need a person. She cleansed him, made him whole and bright; caused the dark void of his thoughts to vanish until he only saw the light. He began moving her toward the door and pressed her back against it.

Rei didn't think, her senses were so overwhelmed by him that she could do little but whimper in the back of her throat as he ravaged her mouth. His lips moved wildly over hers, as though he sought something he could not reach and she savored in every ounce of pleasure that his kiss evoked. She wrapped her arms around his neck, gasped when she felt the cold hard door at her back, and pressed her body closer to his. What was this passion that seemed to grow between them? Why could she not control herself when his lips were on hers?

He pressed her harder against the door and moved his hands down the sides of ribs, then splayed a hand across her abdomen, marveling at how small she was. He ran his hands up again, his fingers grazed her nipples through the fabric of her gown as they slid back up her throat, then back down again. He took hold of her breasts in his palms, massaging them gently and nearly came out of his skin when she groaned softly and pressed herself fully into his hands. He was throbbing, eager and impatient to be inside her, giving her life; life that he did not have. He lowered his right hand, moved it to press against the skirts between her thighs and her flinch of uneasiness made him pause. She was afraid?

He opened his eyes abruptly. Innocent. He pulled away roughly, his breath coming out in pants, and moved away from her. "I can't…" he gasped.

Rei opened her eyes slowly and took in several calming breaths. A hand went up to her hair and she ran a shaky hand through the long mass, chiding herself for losing control like she did. "I…" she began, only to be caught off guard by the embarrassed flush that crept up her neck.

"Nay, Rei," Jed whispered, "I am truly a rogue for thinking to touch you. I am terribly sorry," he said. He too ran a hand through his hair and then, when he felt that his body had cooled enough, turned back to face her and smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. "We should not tamper with fire," he said.

Rei almost grinned at that. He had tamped with fire…and it had set her flame so bright she feared even a dousing of Ami's ice could not put it out. "We are both at fault," she said with a warm sigh.

Jed raised an eyebrow at her remark and looked back at the piano; the roses were no longer red, but a soft and gentle pink. "Strange…" he said.

Rei's eyes followed his and she frowned when she noticed them. "Magic seems to be intense in this area," she whispered to herself.

He turned back to her and shook his head. "I suggest we depart," he said.

"For?"

"The evening meal," he said with a genuine smile. He offered her his arm and she placed her hand on his sleeve, her touch as light as air. He looked down into her eyes and saw the remnants of passion not spent and mentally tsked himself for not satisfying her, but deciding that he was the only one who could read those expressive eyes of hers, he winked at her and said merely, "Shall we?"

"I did not dress."

"There wasn't time," he said with a grin.

She returned his smile slowly and they made their way to the door.

Just as Jed swung it open, a gasp was uttered. "What is the meaning of this?"

Rei and Jed both swung their eyes toward the blonde and their mouths fell open. "I demand an explanation!"

"An explanation?" Rei stammered as she looked at her friend.

"Yes! The door was closed and then out you come, hanging on a man's arm. You should be thankful you are not at home, Qu—"

"No!"

Jed looked down at the raven-haired beauty with a look of surprise. She had shouted the word so loud that he wondered at her sudden worry over what had almost come from Mina's mouth.

"It is not as it seems," Rei said

Mina gave no response, merely turned her back on her dearest friend and stormed away from the couple. Things were not supposed to happen like this, she thought to herself as she got lost around one of the many bends within the palace. Rei was an assassin's prey, she was no longer under the protection that the cottage provided them with Queen Serenity looking down on them.

She turned another bend and found herself staring at a long gallery of old paintings from princes of the past. She turned around and mistakenly took a left instead of a right.

Why was her friend acting like this? If they were not careful, they would be found out. They shouldn't have come with the earth prince!

Another wrong turn.

They should have zapped all of them away without a heed to the consequences and then hidden within the cottages until they knew the coast was clear.

Did she just go in a circle?

She wasn't the leader of the senshi for nothing! She knew whom to trust and whom to mistrust.

Why was she staring at the same gallery of paintings again?

Rei had lost her mind!

And she had lost herself in this maze of a palace.

She stopped and shook off the thoughts of her friend and took a look at the surroundings that enclosed her. "Where am I?" she asked one large painting of some Earthling from centuries ago.

"You are in the hall of princes," came a cool voice.

Mina jumped and caught her breath. Was the painting talking to her? She stepped closer, examining all of the oils that were used to create the color of deep blue that the prince was wearing around his shoulders.

"You truly are a ridiculous woman," the voice came again.

She furrowed her brow and then stiffened. The voice was coming from behind her. She turned slowly and came face to face with the silver-haired warrior that she was beginning to dread seeing. "Then, please, step away from the ridiculous woman," she said bitingly.

Kunzite's eyes widened with annoyance as he spun on his heel and began to stride down the hall, his boot heels clipping on the marble floor. "I suggest you follow me if you want to fill that mouth of yours with something other than frivolous female comments," he shot over his shoulder.

Mina, fuming, stomped behind him, her thoughts of worry for her Martian friend filled instead with anger at the Earthling who dared to call her frivolous. Only Makoto could call her that!

----

It was still dark when he opened his eyes to stare at the white canopy above his bed. He could feel the cool wind rushing through the open terrace doors. He stared up into the darkness, the void of his memory haunting his waking thoughts as they did his dreams. He had dreamt of the ocean again, of a ship with a crew and billowing white sails. He had dreamt of the smell of the sea, the salty air hitting his face as he stood at the wheel of the ship. He had also dreamt of death again, of dead bodies littering steps to a castle, fields in the meadow, forest floors, beaches, and even beautiful foyers within a grand home. He had seen blood, tasted it, smelled it. He could relive any of these battles as though they were forever embedded in his spirit, no matter whose memory lay inside of him.

He sat up in his bed, the sheets sliding down to his naked waist and he stared out of the terrace doors, watching the thin curtains whispering to the moon that shown so brightly out on the terrace. He wished he could be as carefree as those curtains.

Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, Jed made his way toward the terrace doors and on the way, grabbed up the blue silk dressing gown that lay at the foot of the bed. He slipped his arms into it and tied it around his waist as he stepped out into the cool early morning air. In the distance he could make out the faint dotting of an orange sun peaking the horizon. As he breathed in the sweet scent of morning dew, he heard the faint sounds of clanging metal on metal. No, it was slightly different. He strained and heard…metal clashing with stone? He frowned and turned back to his bedchamber.

The sun was beginning to shine through the windows, its warm yellow glow spreading throughout the blue and silver room with enough heat to warm the cold stone walls and uninviting silver that stood out like knives. A shiver ran through his body as he gathered up clothing from the dressing room on one side of the room. He steered clear of the gray uniforms that seemed to be lined up with all the precision of an obsessed soldier, and decided on a pair of black breeches and a white tunic. He pulled a sturdy looking black velvet cloak and stepped into a pair of knee high black leather boots before he made his way out of the room that he had nightmares in.

He couldn't remember his way around the palace well, the twists and turns confused him like some sort of garden maze, but he did know how to get out of the palace. He would forever know how to get out of a cold stone manor like this one. He much preferred a small cottage with a big fire heating the small hardwood floor. He barely noticed the servants who stopped to stare at him as he made his way outside, his eyes were trained to the large front entrance that he could see as he descended the main staircase.

When he was outside, he followed the clanging and clashing that had drawn him before, and pulled the cloak tighter around his body, heedless of the fact that it billowed around him like a black shadow. He climbed the rise of a hill, and the sounds grew louder. When he crested the rise, he stopped in astonishment. The sound that drew him was not the sound he had expected to be greeted with this early in the morning.

Standing in many, many precise rows were hundreds of gray uniformed soldiers all executing finely toned thrusts and parries. Jed stood transfixed, he had dreamed of this sight, of soldiers lining walls, fighting to the death. He had not expected to wake up at sunrise and stumble upon a training session.

"Jadeite!" someone called from below.

Jed turned at the sound of the name and saw Endymion and Nephrite making their way toward him. They stopped several feet away, their mouths frozen with shock and then Endymion cracked a smile so wide and friendly that Jed frowned. "What is it?" he asked.

Endymion shook his head and climbed the rest of the way up to put a hand on Jadeite's shoulder. "You may not realize this, but in that cloak and standing there with that frown on your face…you remind me of your old self."

Jed's frown deepened. "When I frown I remind you of myself?"

Nephrite laughed and shook his head, "You were always a slightly sour person."

He did not like the sound of that. "I must be a terribly boring person," he replied.

"Not at all, you have the most amazing wit when you are in the mood to show it off," Endymion said proudly. "I did not expect to see you up this early."

Jadeite looked over at the soldiers—all of whom had stopped training and were now watching the exchange. "I did not expect myself to be up at this hour. I could not sleep."

Endymion nodded sadly and looked into his friend's eyes. They were still as dark and sightless as before, though he did sense a growing recognition as he glanced at the troops below. He looked at the gashes alone Jadeite's face, healing rapidly, but still pink and prominent. His look was too distant, his stance much more stiff than it had been yesterday. He felt that he was looking at his friend, the friend who had his wife die along with his child before he had even been married a full year.

Endy turned and nodded to a young boy who was standing eagerly off to the side of the group. "I want to show you something," Endymion said softly.

Jadeite turned and glanced back up at the palace, his vision full of pale skin and raven hair. "I do not think I should be here," he said softly.

"Nay, you have every right to be," Endymion said.

"I cannot stand and watch you train your men," Jadeite said.

Nephrite gave a bark of laughter.

"Did I say something amusing?" Jadeite asked.

Nephrite contained the next shout of laughter and shook his head, "Nay, it is not that…"

"Then what is it?"

Endymion, smiling too, replied on behalf of the brown-haired general, "They are your men, Jadeite. Thus is why you have every right to be here."

Jadeite's head swung back to look upon the hundreds of men standing at perfect attention on the lawns of the Earth's palace. "My…men…?" he whispered.

"They were traveling to find you, and I am giving them refuge here until you are ready to go back to your own home. Nephrite and I have been taking a few days at a time to train with them, to make sure they are in good shape when you returned," Endymion said with a slight grin. "They are well trained, brother…they did not need any help from Nephrite or myself, but we wanted them to be ready for you when you came home." He nodded to another man, who came running up the rise.

"Lord Warrior General Jadeite!" he stated, putting his right first atop his heart.

Jadeite blinked and turned to Endymion.

The soldier cleared his throat slightly then continued, "Lieutenant General Royce McNair, second in command to my Lord Warrior General Jadeite's Army."

Jadeite cocked an eyebrow at the man and eyed him skeptically. He was a good looking man, he supposed, with short clipped brown hair and a pair of luminescent green eyes that were searching his own blue ones with something akin to desperation. "Thank you, Lieutenant General Royce," Jadeite said in the same clipped tone that Royce McNair used with him. "I see that you are taking good care of the men," he stated.

Royce's face seemed to relax slightly, "Not as well as you are able to, your majesty," he said softly.

Endymion beamed from his side and Nephrite grinned broadly. As Jadeite and Royce exchanged pleasantries, the young boy came running back up the rise, his breathing labored. "Thomas Rupert, yer majesty," the boy said with a quick breath, "Beggin' yer pardon, but 'is 'ighness asked me ter bring this for yee."

Jadeite turned to look at the young boy—who could not be more than ten—and noted the leather sheath he held in his two outstretched hands. "What is this?" Jadeite asked.

Endymion took the sheath and then held the handle of the sword out to Jadeite, "It is your sword, Jadeite," he said softly.

Jadeite looked from the sword to Endymion's eager eyes and then back to the sword handle again. It looked sturdy and tough; built from solid silver and wrapped tightly with black leather. He gingerly reached a hand out to grasp the sword and pulled it away and out of the sheath that Endymion held for him. The weight felt good in his hand, and as the weapon came clear of the black leather it was encased in, the sun bounced off its blade and Jadeite took in a breath.

The blade was made from solid and crystal clear diamond.

Unconsciously, Jadeite flipped his cloak over his shoulder and tested the weight of the sword in his hand, marveling at how it fit in his hand, like an extension of his arm. It felt wonderful.

Endymion smiled, Nephrite shook his head with disbelief. Royce stood back with a look of proud pleasure etched into his stony features and young Thomas looked worshipfully at the blonde general. "Feels good dun it?" he dared to ask.

Jadeite took a step back and then lunged forward, his stance immaculate. "Beautiful," he whispered as he came up.

As they stood there, cloudy images trying to surface in his mind, a shout echoed over the hill. "Endymion!" they heard.

Every head swiveled around toward the voice just as Zoicite came barreling down. "Quickly!" he shouted, "The women are being attacked. Kunzite is with them!"

Jadeite's face drained of color and before any of them could react enough to move forward, Jadeite was running hell-bent toward the palace, the diamond sword glinting with the early morning sun and his black cloak flying behind him like wings.

----

"Rei!" Mina shouted above the shattering crash of stone and mortar. "Rei!"

She heard coughing off to the side and climbed over broken statues and glass in order to reach her friend. "Rei!"

"Here, no need to scream your head off," Rei returned as she emerged from underneath the broken bed. Her hair was in disarray, her nightgown torn up the side, revealing a scandalous amount of bare leg, and the right shoulder of the gown was falling down her arm. Rei brushed the soot off of her before she turned to see Mina climbing easily over the obstacles in front of her.

Mina snatched Rei into her arms, shaking her slightly as she did, "What happened?" she asked hysterically.

Rei looked over her shoulder at the wall that had been blown away and then down at the silver-haired general who lay in an unconscious heap at her feet. "I don't know…" she began, but before she could finish, a shadowy image fell over her and Mina and a sword came crashing down over their heads.

They ducked out of the way, their reflexes sharp and agile and the blade missed them by inches. "Come, princess," the voice taunted.

Rei and Mina looked up at the figure, his eyes glowing from behind a red mask. "Who are you?" Rei asked her fingers twitching with the need to conjure up a spell to toss the insolent killer on his back.

"Rei!"

All three parties turned to stare in fascination as Jadeite came charging into the room, the glinting diamond sword clutched tightly in his hand. "Jed?" she whispered back, her stunned eyes widening as they took him in. He looked like a warrior.

"Enough!" the voice said from above them and he slashed out, carving a line down the side of Rei's leg as she dashed to get out of the way. Mina screamed and lunged at the attacker, a shining gold coil wrapped around her hands. She wound the chain around the attacker's neck as best she could before she was flung off of him, tossed like a rag doll onto the chunks of stone and mortar surrounding them.

Rei stood up, headless of the blood pouring down her leg and placed a practiced hand before her. "Spirits of Mars…" she whispered as she dragged what magic she could from the magic pools on Mars.

Before she could build up enough power to unleash upon her attacker, Jadeite was beside her, pushing her behind him and holding the diamond sword in front of him like a tiger would hold out his paw, a dangerous limb that would swing if provoked. "Who in damnation are you?" Jadeite roared.

"Her death, son, not yours," the assassin stated with soft force.

Jadeite's lip curled into a snarl and Rei took a sudden step away from him, not recognizing the sweet Jed that held her in her cottage. He raised his arm and the sword came down with a deafening yet sultry whistle of song. The assassin had no time to move, Jadeite's reflexes were too sharp, even from lack of use, and he croaked a stunned refusal to believe that the diamond blade found a home within his chest. "She will see you dead," he said before he fell back, the sword pulling out of him like a knife in butter. Blood swam around the assassin's body, pooled around Jadeite's feet before he suddenly crumpled into black ash and absorbed into the marble floor of the room.

Endymion and Nephrite stood to the side with Kunzite's prone form hung over their shoulders. Their eyes showed their surprise, their glee, and their satisfaction that Jadeite's skills were returning so naturally to him. "He is like his old self," Endymion said with a smile.

Jadeite stood staring at the empty place on the ground, breathing deeply of the dusty air that hung around him like a blanket of snow. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of the marble in front of him. He was seeing images of soldiers running over hills, tossing bodies onto the grassy fields, then running toward more soldiers, fighting, fighting…

He saw a blonde man standing before him, wrinkles etched around his kind eyes, and a black leather sheathed sword in his hand with a silver handle. He looked up eagerly at it, his own eyes filled with awe and excitement. He reached up slowly, his fingers curling around the blade and handle. He looked up adoringly at the older man and finally spoke, "Thank you, father."

"Take care of it, my son. It is the sword passed down from generation to generation at the tender age of fourteen. I will teach you its power," his father replied with a sweet smile.

Jadeite smiled brightly and tested the weight in his hands. It was his.

"Jed?" Rei called softly as she watched his still form.

He turned slightly and his hard eyes made her frown. "Are you hurt?" he asked.

Rei shook her head, took a step back and collapsed on her injured leg.

Jed dropped the sword, his panic for Rei's safety of utmost importance. "Are you well?" he called to her as she righted herself.

Rei frowned in his direction and pulled away from him when he reached for her. "I'm perfectly fine," she said with a grimace.

Endymion rushed forward, his worry clearly writ upon his face. "Let me see where you are hurt," he said gently.

Rei looked uncertain, the injury was surely in a most inappropriate spot and she dared not ruin her reputation by showing these men her leg. "I need to get away from this debris," she said to stall them.

Jed didn't hesitate in reaching under her legs and around her waist to hoist her into his arms. He carried her away as if she weighed no more than a feather, and Endymion followed with Jadeite's diamond sword clutched in his hand. Mina helped Nephrite escort Kunzite to his quarters, but watched helplessly as Rei looked over Jed's shoulder and nodded her reassurance.

"Where are you taking her?" Endy asked as he rushed to keep up with him.

"To my quarters," he replied without a backward glance

Rei turned a shocked face toward him. "You cannot be serious!" she shrieked.

"I am and I would appreciate it if you did not yell in my ear," he said.

Rei turned furious eyes to Endymion, "You can't mean to let him take me to his quarters…to sacrifice my reputation for this scratch is ridiculous!"

Endymion frowned and positioned himself in front of Jed. "Really, brother, you cannot mean to do this. You are tampering with a maiden's reputation. Think of the damage it will cause her if it is discovered that she was in an unmarried man's quarters, her dress slit up her thigh."

Rei's gasp caught his attention and Jed looked down to frown furiously at her. "You will obey me or I will make sure there is more than that 'scratch' on your leg," he threatened.

She glared back at him and crossed her arms over her chest and kept her back as rigid as she could with Jed's arm wrapped so tightly around it. "I will not," she said.

She heard him sigh, "I'm afraid you have no choice, princess."

She stiffened even more at that endearment and looked away from him, her eyes fixed on a sconce above his head. Endymion witnessed the reaction with a mixture of intrigue and worry. This girl was hiding something from them and he would discover it before she left.

With no response from her, Jed marched past Endymion and into his own private quarters. He rounded the table set before the hearth and made his way to the bed to lay her down gently at its center. "Endymion," Jed began as he pulled the coverlet up and over Rei's legs, "Would you be so kind as to call the physician here?"

Endymion nodded his head and stepped toward the door.

"You are an overbearing cad," Rei said to him when they were alone. "I should have let you drown."

Jed scoffed at that. "You could not have let me drown, my dear, for I was already on land."

Rei glared hotly at him, "Then I should have let you rot."

"You would never do such a thing," he said as he leaned over her. He placed a hand on either side of her hips and leaned down until his nose was almost level with hers. "You like me too much," he said as he kissed the tip of her nose.

She shook him off and crossed her arms angrily over her chest again. "You are even more the overbearing cad than I thought," she whispered.

Jed smiled and reached down to separate the gash in her town gown.

"What are you doing?" she said with panic laced through her words. She put her hand on his to stop him from moving it further. "I will not have you touching me when there is a possibility that I can save myself from this embarrassment."

He shoved her hand aside and pulled the garment up her thigh, exposing the entire length of her slim leg. He mentally groaned at the sight and suppressed the urge to smooth his hand over the silken and creamy skin below her knee and up the inside of her thigh. He focused his attention on the ugly gash that marred her perfection and sat down on the bed to further examine it. "It does not look too bad," he said.

Rei blinked down at him with a mix of interest and anger. How dare he lift her dress without her consent? And how dare he look at her as though he wanted to…to…

"Ah, my patient," came a voice from the doorway.

Rei and Jed both jumped slightly.

"This is the physician?" Jed asked skeptically.

Zoicite stood in the doorway, a smirk on his face.

Endymion's eyebrow raised and he laughed slightly. "What's the matter, Jadeite? Afraid ol' Zoi here will steal your prize?"

Rei shot daggers at him.

Jed merely rose from the bed and pulled the dress down and over Rei's leg. "I will see to it myself," he said with finality.

Endymion stood still for a moment longer before he motioned for Zoicite to follow him. "Though it seems strange, brother," he said when they were out of earshot, "I want Jadeite and the girl to be alone together. There is something about Rei and Mina that has me scratching my head for all it's worth. I'm sure these two girls have already given me a bald spot and a few gray hairs to cap it all off. I'm very curious to know what this strange feeling is."

Zoicite frowned and looked back at the closed door, "I still do not feel comfortable leaving an innocent girl in the arms of a man with no memory whatsoever."

"Let well enough alone, Zoi. I want Jadeite to come back to us and it seems as though this girl is out only hope right now. She is bringing him out of this dark void he has found himself in. I don't know how she's doing it, or where she is getting the power to do it, but there is something about her that makes Jadeite himself again. All the hints I've been trying to give him, all the little things that I hope will spark his memory are nothing compared to the things that surround her."

----

Jed waited until the door was fully closed before he walked over to a sideboard and poured some brandy into a bowl. He brought it back to the bed, a cloth in hand, and sat himself at the edge again. "I don't mean to unsettle you," he said as he lifted the garment, "I just want to make sure that you are at ease."

"I am no where near ease," Rei replied looking away from him.

Jed sighed slightly and placed the rag into the brandy. "I don't mean to hurt you either," he said as he dabbed the wound with the alcohol.

Rei flinched slightly, but so many years with Ami tending to her with the same methods had taught her how to sit still and grit her teeth through the sting. She turned to look at him as he pressed the cloth harder against the wound to mop up all the blood and the look on his face as he tended to her was her undoing. "You do not hurt me," she said gently.

He turned his face up to look at her and the fear and nervousness written clear across his features made her smile. "How can you feel as though you are hurting me, when it is so obvious that you are the lost soul, and not myself?"

He turned back to her leg and dipped the cloth back into the brandy and then pressed it to her leg before he decided to answer her. "I do not know if I am lost," he said simply.

Rei smothered a gasp of pain when he stroked the cloth down her leg and merely wrinkled her nose instead. "What do you mean?"

"I feel as though…in some odd way…I am no longer walking in a tunnel that I cannot see in…merely that…the tunnel is misted over and everything I need is within my reach, I just need to make my way through the haze and touch it."

Rei nodded slightly and watched as he tore another cloth into long strips and began to wrap it around her injured leg. She felt a strange warmth settle over her as she watched him lift her leg and slip his hands around and under it, but she faced away so as not to notice it overly. "That is a miracle, is it not? I suppose being in the prince's palace has put you at ease."

"Nay…" Jed said as he tied off the makeshift bandage.

Rei turned to look at him.

"You are my saving grace, princess," he whispered.

Again Rei felt that surge of fear at the nickname, but pushed it aside to concentrate on what he was saying. He couldn't possibly know who she was. "I, sir?" she asked slowly.

"You."

"But I have done nothing."

"Nay, you have done more for me than you know. I feel as though you have guided me through this misty haze. You are the one who is washing my eyes of this mud so that I may see through them. You are the one who is pushing the memories into my mind. Today, I saw my father in my mind's eye," he said with an excited smile.

She looked so stunned that he laughed and held her hand to his lips.

"Marry me," he said softly.

"What?" she gasped.

"Marry me," he whispered again.

"Nay! I cannot!" she cried, pulling her hand away from him and trying desperately to move away from him.

"Why?"

"We do not know each other," she said as she scooted to the edge of the bed.

"We know each other, Rei," he said gently, "You saved me. I saved you. I kissed you and you kissed me and I know you feel something for me. I can sense it every time you look at me. It is the same hunger I feel when I look at you."

She was standing by the bed post, her hands wrapped tightly around it. "You do not love me," she said.

"What does that matter?"

She glared at him. "It matters a great deal! I will only marry when the man I love asks me and that has not happened yet," she said though a silent part of her cried out that she was making a mistake.

"Who do you love?" Jed asked with a frown.

"No one…but I will only marry for love. Never because someone feels as though he can gain his memory through my actions."

Jed looked at her with wounded eyes and then breathed a sigh of defeat. "I am sorry, Rei," he said softly and without another word, he turned and left the room.

----

He walked without sight, walked without knowing where he was going, and he did not care. He was a fool to ask her to marry him. He didn't know her! She didn't know him. How could she when he was merely a walking body with nothing in his mind? He was just a man with no certainty, no understanding.

He walked even further into the garden that he did not realize he was in.

Who was he to ask such a beauty to marry him? She was like a diamond amongst the coal and he was just a lowly lump on the bottom of the pile, craning his neck to get a glimpse of her.

Still he walked on. The trees grew dense around him, surrounded him as though he were a lamb lost in the woods. He could see the sun peeking through the branches and he could feel the spongy moss under his booted heels, but he did not stop to enjoy the little pleasures in life. He walked on like a soldier, without a care in the world.

But of course he felt something for her! Was it love? Or was it lust? Or was it this insane emotion that she accused him of having; that she would bring his memory back? He shook his head and surged ahead, his feet moving quickly, his legs claiming the land in large leaps and bounds as he ran through the woods.

He was a lost soul.

He ran harder, his legs shaking from the exertion, but he dared not stop. He wanted to be free of this feeling of never understanding who he was, what he was to do, and who he was meant to do it for. He raced and raced through the trees, stumbling once over a fallen log, but still he raced.

When he came to a clearing with a small river spread out in front of him, he stopped. He could smell the sweet pine needles as they swayed in the gentle breeze, he could hear the water rushing down from the cliff and he could taste the crisp air as it swirled around him. He closed his eyes, took in all the scents and all the sounds with a new appreciation for the world and everything in it.

When he opened his eyes, he was flying through a storm of images; he could see things that he thought were buried behind the mist. He reached out and touched pictures of his father, his mother, his brother, even his horse from when he was five summers old. He could smell the spicy cologne of his father; he could feel the silken touch of his mother's handkerchief on his cheek as she wiped mud off of him, murmuring, "My little boy is always so messy."

He could hear the laughter of his brother as he helped his little brother Jadeite onto the cliff in front of him, he saw his brother jump into the water, heard the scream, heard the deafening crash as his brother hit the water and then all was still.

He remembered the day his brother died.

It was here, at this lake, in this very spot. They had been visiting Endymion and his brother wanted to go out to escape the demands of court life. They had stowed away to this hidden waterfall and were having the time of their lives jumping from the smaller rocks and into the shallow pool, but when his brother—Jared—got the idea to jump from the cliff where the water was rushing, everything went wrong.

He had hit a rock as he landed and died instantly. And no one was near to hear Jadeite scream for his brother.

He reeled back from the memory and fell to his knees onto the mossy ground, his breathing shallow and rapid, and his eyes burning with tears. He wanted to drown himself in that memory, he never wanted to be near it again. He didn't even think when he felt two smooth arms wrap around him. He only leaned into them, buried his face in the soft body that wrapped around his. "It feels as though…when these memories come back…they are tenfold more powerful than when the event actually happened," he whispered brokenly into the silky bodice he rested against.

He opened his eyes and looked up into hazy violet orbs. "The pain is unbearable," he said.

Rei closed her eyes and a tear slid down her cheek. She hadn't meant to follow him, hadn't meant to watch him as he stared unbelievingly at the water, his gaze moving up to the cliff, but then she had heard him screaming, "No, no, no," and she was lost. The little thread of magic that she had wrapped around her leg to keep it from paining her as she raced after him tightened and grew in strength and she pulled him out of the memory. She knew that the magic she used was risky and that anyone with any knowledge of where she might be would be able to open the magical flood gates and be able to find her swiftly, but she didn't care. She used her magic to pull his mind from the horror he was seeing and wrapped him in its warm cocoon, keeping the two of them free from any frightening images. "I know…" she answered.

He looked back toward the water and she saw the color returning to his face. He closed his eyes and Rei felt a shudder flow through him. "I don't know if I can handle this…" he said.

Rei smoothed a hand over his brow and felt the perspiration. She pressed her cheek to his chest, listened to his heartbeat and closed her eyes; felt him drop his head to rest on hers. His arms tightened she knew…it was inevitable…she was in love with him.

"Marry me," he whispered into her hair.

She opened her eyes and then closed them again. She could hear the steady pounding of his heart against her ear, felt his deep voice when he spoke rumble through his chest and she knew at that moment that she would never be forgiven for the choice she was going to make. She knew how dangerous it was, knew that she was not only risking her life and her safety, but his as well. She thought of the people of her home, the fire that burned so brightly in her soul and she knew that there was a slight possibility that she would never go home. She could sense it even as another tear slipped down her cheek and soaked into his shirt. She could feel the magic thread around them grow and knew that it was her destiny calling to her. She took a breath and licked her lips, "Yes…" she breathed shakily.


End file.
